Ahead of their new album Hot Motion, out Sept. 27 on ATO Records, U.K. psych-rock trio Temples have shared another new single, the spirited, yet contemplative “Context.”
Frontman James Bagshaw frames the song as an interaction between language and instrumentation, evoking the elasticity of the former by manipulating the latter:
“‘Context’ was originally written as an observation of words being taken out of context, and how that changes the sentiment and meaning of words. This thought process crossed over into the musicality of the song. I wanted to reinvigorate the idea of the guitar solo, and also re-contextualize influences from my favorite musical pioneers. There is a nod to Les Paul and Mary Ford, and the guitar solo pays homage to a recording technique made famous on the piano sound on “In My Life” by The Beatles! We recorded the guitar solo at half speed, and then sped it up afterwards!
Temples’ ATO debut, Hot Motion is the third album from the band, following 2014’s Sun Structures and 2017’s Volcano. Likewise, “Context” is the third single from the new LP after the June release of its title track and the August release of “You’re Either On Something.” A press release describes Hot Motion as “an album fizzing with ideas, bursting with kinetic energy and balancing an immediate impact with an enduring, timeless intensity,” as well as “an aural tapestry for dark days; an inviting and warm sanctuary away from the daily churn of information overload.”
Temples kick off a North American tour in October, starting at California’s Desert Daze Festival on Oct. 11, and criss-crossing the U.S. (and Canada) through a Nov. 10 show in Philadelphia. They then spend the rest of November and part of December on a headlining tour of their native U.K. and Europe, wrapping their run in London on Dec. 8.
Listen to “Context” below, plus Temples’ 2013 Daytrotter session, and find the band’s tour dates further down.
Temples Tour Dates:
October
05 – Guadalajara, Mexico @ C3 Stage
08 – Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico @ Foro Indierocks!
11-13 – Perris, Calif. @ Desert Daze Festival
15 – San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent
17 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Commonwealth Room
18 – Englewood, Colo. @ The Gothic Theatre
19 – Santa Fe, N.M. @ Meow Wolf
21 – Dallas, Texas @ The Granada Theatre
22 – Austin, Texas @ Stubbs
24 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall
25-27 – New Orleans, La. @ Voodoo Music Experience
28 – Atlanta, Ga. @ The Masquerade
30 – Nashville, Tenn. @ The Basement East
31 – Chicago, Ill. @ Metro
November
02 – Detroit, Mich. @ The Shelter
04 – Toronto, Ont. @ Danforth Music Hall
05 – Montreal, Que. @ L’Astral
07 – New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall
08 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
09 – Cambridge, Mass. @ The Sinclair
10 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Union Transfer
12 – Bologna, Italy @ Locomotiv
15 – Cardiff, U.K. @ Shimmer Sounds Festival
17 – Birmingham, U.K. @ Shimmer Sounds Festival
19 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Orangerie
20 – Paris, France @ Trabendo
22 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Mascotte
24 – Milan, Italy @ Magnolia
25 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Roxy
26 – Berlin, Germany @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
28 – Hamburg, Germany @ Grunspan
29 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Loppen
30 – Cologne, Germany @ Luxor
December
02 – Brighton, U.K. @ Komedia
04 – Newcastle, U.K. @ Riverside
06 – Nottingham, U.K. @ Rescue Rooms
07 – Southampton, U.K. @ Engine Rooms
08 – London, U.K. @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire