Sun Structures: What This Record Means To Me

Sun Structures is the debut album by British neo-psychedelic band Temples. Their blend of 60s nostalgia with modern studio techniques makes them one of the most promising acts of today. Adding a funkier, bassier flavour to their music than neo-psych peers Tame Impala and Foxygen, Temples provide an upbeat twist on their mystically sonic music.

The album opens with the groovy 'Shelter Song', the opening single, exactly as it was recorded in James Bagshaw (singer, writer, producer)'s bedroom when the band were only two, not four. The well layered boogie sets the scene very quickly somewhere between the haze of the summer of '67 and Bagshaw's dopplegänger, Marc Bolan and T-Rex.

The LP's title track, Sun Structures, takes you on a journey deep into psych. The irregular drum beat and the continuous bass riff leaves you safe to close your eyes, lie back and immerse your entire body, mind and soul into Bagshaw's whispered vocal.

The Golden Throne continues the journey into the mist as Thomas Warmsley's bass pushes the track along into it's distinctive distorted keyboard sound, much like that of an early 70s sci-fi film.

The boogie-woogie Keep In The Dark plunges you right into Bolan. The catchy sing-a-long is an instant hit with it's cocktail of sounds crescendoing in the bridge and chorus. This is where psychedelic rock becomes psychedelic-pop. It must be said that in this sense, pop is not the dirty word that it has become, however, it makes the band a truly likeable entity, casting their stratospheric music to the place it belongs, the stratosphere!

Mesmerise once more casts you into the euphoric world of psych-trip and the catchy melody connects with you immediately. Mesmerise is what Temples are about. Their brand of pop music mixed with pyschedelia ensures a wide audience. There is no aggression or malice in Temples' music, just love, and haze.

Move With The Season is a pure trip. From it's dreamy vocals to the massive final section of strings and Bagshaw's falsetto. The track is almost in slow motion, sit back, relax, enjoy the sensation. This brings the album to Colours to Life. This single is not quite as poppy as Mesmerise or Keep In The Dark but is just as likeable. As Bagshaw breathes his lyrics of love, you begin to realise that this album is something more than great.

Album tracks A Question Isn't Answered, The Guesser and Test of Time provide ten minutes of dream and some very decent music. The three tracks may not be quite as entertaining as others on the record, but are however good enough to be singles for some bands. Temples present us with their awesome use of studio equipment and effects pedals to assert the sonic nature of the LP.

Sand Dance begins with similar bass boogie to the rest of the record, however the bridge breaks down into a slow, wishy-washy dream. Another good track, until the three minute outro. As the band show off their prowess, Adam Smith on the keyboard, James Bagshaw on lead guitar, Samuel Toms' drumming keeping the pace and Thomas Warmsley on bass, the record drifts off into a dream. Like an improvised version of the bride repeated over and over again you are catapulted up into space in the arms of Kettering's premier (and first?) psychedelic heroes.

Fragment's Light finishes the album on a Byrds-esque acoustic guitar. Bagshaw whispers his vocals over the track to conclude, in my opinion, the album of 2014.

Sun Structures is my coming-of-age album. Having taken me through my sixteenth summer, Temples will stay forever with me as the band of my youth. The instrumentation on this record is second to none. We can only hope that Temples' second record is just as good.