CD cover - The Temper Trap, Conditions. Photo/ Supplied
CD cover - The Temper Trap, Conditions. Photo/ Supplied
Hmm, this sounds a bit familiar. Atmospheric keys, distant vocals, shimmering guitars - is this some sort of Coldplay side project?
Apparently not. This is The Temper Trap - a Melbourne-based four-piece - and their much-hyped-across-the-Tasman debut album Conditions. Fortunately, none of that hype seemed to drift across the Ditch,leaving Conditions to reach our shores as an unfamiliar and unexpected arrival.
And while the boys have clearly spent a bit of time listening to Chris Martin and the gang, they don't have quite such grandiose ideas, lingering somewhere between cinematic soundtrack and full-blown arena rock. As the record wears on, it becomes less epic and more experimental.
There's the winding, whimpering Soldier On, which spends four minutes as a meandering, acoustic number before awkwardly shifting gears to become an atmospheric rock out - similar to Muse, just not as good.
Producer Jim Abiss - the man behind The Arctic Monkeys' and The Editors' debut albums - brings a polished edge to the record, but is potentially the reason the album reflects The Editors' sound a little too much. But surely only the band is to blame for the Bee Gees-esque atrocity that is Fools - the only concrete lowlight of the album.
The rest is a pleasant enough romp of low-key indie rock. An end of night record for when the party winds down and the stragglers insist on one last nightcap.
Stars: 3/5 Verdict: A smooth debut from Australia's answer to Coldplay.
