Thick as Thieves (The Temper Trap album)

Thick as Thieves
Studio album by The Temper Trap
Released 10 June 2016
Recorded February 2013 – October 2015
Studio
Genre Indie rock
Length 45:01
Label Liberation Records (AUS/UK)
Glassnote Records (US)
Producer Ben H. Allen III · Pascal Gabriel · Malay · Damian Taylor · Justin Parker
The Temper Trap chronology
The Temper Trap
(2012)
Thick as Thieves
(2016)

Thick as Thieves is the third studio album by Australian indie-alternative rock band The Temper Trap. It was primarily produced by Pascal Gabriel, known for his work with Marina and the Diamonds and Goldfrapp, and Björk collaborator Damian Taylor. Running at a length of 45 minutes long and comprising eleven tracks, the album is slated for release on 10 June 2016, by Liberation Records in Australia and the United Kingdom, and by Glassnote Records in the United States. The album is the first by the band to be co-written by personnel outside of the band, and will also mark the first without guitarist and founding member Lorenzo Sillitto, after his departure in late 2013.

Serving as a follow-up to their experimental second studio album, The Temper Trap, Thick as Thieves reverts to a guitar-oriented sound reminiscent of their debut album, Conditions, in response to the former's mixed reception, with lyrics inspired by various experiences by members of the band. Recording and production started in early 2013 at Byron Bay, where initial sessions were held with Grammy award-winning producer Malay. The band also notably changed their traditional method of songwriting for Thick as Thieves, moving from development of ideas from jam sessions, to a more streamlined process of forming songs from various ideas by members of the band. Stumped by the departure of Sillitto, and fluctuating frequently between recording and touring, however, the album spent a lengthy time in development over the course of three years, mostly recorded with Gabriel at the band's private studios in London, and with Taylor at the Golden Ratio Studios in Montreal in late 2014 and early 2015. After numerous delays, even after initially tracking the album in April 2015, recording on the album was eventually completed in October 2015, after 32 months in the studio.

With its release formally announced in April 2016, the album was preceded by the appearances of title track "Thick as Thieves", and fifth track "Fall Together" on singles, in February and April 2016, respectively. Further promotion included a low-key headlining tour and an extensive festival tour in mid-2016 of Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States, in support of the album's release.

Background

The Temper Trap, performing live in 2012 as supporting act on the Mylo Xyloto Tour.

After enjoying commercial and critical success with their debut album, Conditions, The Temper Trap released their eponymous second studio album, The Temper Trap, in May 2012. Produced with Tony Hoffer, and described as an album upon which the band expressed "willingness to experiment",[1] it was a departure from the traditional rock sound of their debut, opting instead for an emphasis on electronically-oriented sounds contrasting greatly from the internationally successful hits of their previous album, "Sweet Disposition" and "Fader".[2][3] The band achieved greater commercial success with the release of the album, peaking at no.1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association album chart in the week its release, surpassing the no.9 peak of Conditions.[4] Within a year, the album went on to be certified Platinum by ARIA,[5] with lead single track "Trembling Hands" also being certified Platinum.[6]

Despite these successes, the album itself was not received well by music critics, whom mostly gave the album a mixed response.[7] Criticism was mostly aimed at the deviation from the precedent set by Conditions, with reviewers reaching a consensus that this ultimately had a negative impact on the music.[1][2][8] For their third studio album, the band felt compelled to return to their traditional roots, after reviewing the response to The Temper Trap.[9] Bassist Jonathon Aherne described the feelings of the band, heading into recording their third studio album, as being "under pressure", but with clear intent, stating, "as we’ve discerned and had feedback from album two, and reviewed our strengths from album one, there’s a pretty clear vision of what we want to do."[10]

Composition and themes

"So Much Sky" was inspired by Jonathon Aherne and Dougy Mandagi's charity visit to Tanzania, and the view of Mount Kilimanjaro from the nearby village they visited.

The band retreated to a "less synth and more guitar based" sound than their previous album, reminiscent of, and effectively reverting to, their debut album, Conditions.[11][12] The album was described by drummer Toby Dundas as "filled with hope, raw energy, and a passion that brought us back to the early days", and that the music possessed "grit and attitude".[13] Lead vocalist Dougy Mandagi additionally described the tracks on the album as "more upbeat, up-tempo songs compared to the last record [and] faster songs with a few sombre moments here and there."[14] Additionally, Thick as Thieves is also the first time the band had invited songwriting personnel outside of the band to work on the album, which included producer Pascal Gabriel, who co-wrote most of the songs with the band, and Justin Parker, who co-wrote "Fall Together" with Mandagi.[15]

The album's opening track, "Thick as Thieves", penned by the band with Gabriel,[lower-alpha 1] was described by Emmy mack of Music Feeds as a track that "thumps along" with a "tribal-style tom beat, wild west guitar arpeggios, [and] an Electric Light Orchestra-style bassline".[16] Mandagi, who himself described the track as a "jangly guitar song", stated that he had the idea for the song's guitar riff for years, long before he had sat down with guitarist Joseph Greer and "worked it out in his old flat one day."[17] Lyrically, the album was motivated by various experiences in each of the band members' personal lives.[14] One such example is in the album's second track, "So Much Sky", inspired by bassist Jonathon Aherne and Mandagi's trip to Tanzania, meeting with the Massai tribe as part of an initiative with Faces4Hope, a christian charity organization supporting villages and tribes in East Africa, with whom the band were involved with. The band had written the song mostly in the image of the Massai, their village, and the view of the nearby Mount Kilimanjaro. Mandagi explained, "being out in the open plains and waking up in the morning and seeing Mount Kilimanjaro popping up just above the clouds. It was a really inspirational experience and we got a song out of it."[14]

Recording and production

Recording for the band's third studio album started relatively early, in February and March 2013, where the band spent a week-and-a-half, in the first sessions, with producer Malay.[18][19] Lead vocalist Dougy Mandagi had met Malay during his stay in Los Angeles, and the two had a mutual admiration and respect for each other's work.[9] Mandagi had been writing new ideas for songs during his stay in Los Angeles, while the rest of the band were at home in London, doing the same.[10] While previously, the band made use of jam sessions to create new songs, the band opted instead to take different approaches to writing songs, such as combining various ideas, conceived by different members of the band, into single tracks.[9] The band met up and held their first sessions at the La Casa Artist Residency, a recording studio situated in Byron Bay, New South Wales, and owned by American filmmaker Taylor Steele. Contrasting from a traditional recording studio, the residency was originally set up by Steele as a retreat for artists to spend time, between a few days to a few weeks, to "find inspiration and make art, with Byron Bay as their muse."[20] The band spent a few weeks, over the course of two visits, at La Casa with Malay. The band amassed over over thirty ideas for songs during the sessions, with "Lost" and "Summer's Almost Gone" being two of the earliest written and recorded tracks to eventually appear on the final album.[14][9]

Guitarist and founding member, Lorenzo Sillitto, departed the band early on in the album's production, leaving Joseph Greer to assume the role as the band's lead guitarist, from therein.

Over the course of the year, the band fluctuated frequently between recording for the new album and touring in support of their previous studio album, The Temper Trap, which included a tour of the Australian east coast,[21] music festival appearances such as Lollapalooza Chile and Wanderland,[22][23] and serving as support for bands such as The Rolling Stones during the final leg of their 50 & Counting Tour.[24] The album was on-pace for a slated early 2014 release, however, production was jolted by guitarist and founding member Lorenzo Sillitto's resignation from the band in late September 2013.[25][26] Citing a need to "try new things" after spending over eight years with the band, his departure was not of ill-faith, with Sillitto describing his time in the band as "an amazing journey, an experience I will never forget and one that changed my life."[27][28] A statement by the band, released later that same day, read in support of Sillitto, calling him "a great friend and a valued and important member of The Temper Trap since he joined in 2006." The statement further read, "his creativity and commitment to the band over the years has been first class and we wish him all the best with the exciting events that are about to come into his life; while we're sad to lose a guitarist, we are not losing a friend."[25] With Lorenzo Sillitto's departure, the band were reduced to four members once again; guitarist Joseph Greer was originally made the permanent fifth member of the band as its keyboardist and secondary guitarist to Sillitto's lead, after the release of Conditions. The workload heavily shifted towards Greer, once he became the band's lead guitarist, though Greer had stated that he had "really enjoyed the challenge", still maintaining a role with keyboard work, despite becoming the lead guitarist.[12]

We just want to get this one right and we really hoped that we would have had it done by then, but it just hasn't turned out that way. A lot has happened over the course of the last couple of years and we've just been writing and wanting to get it right. There's no point releasing something if we're not super happy about it,
 Guitarist Joseph Greer, discussing feelings about the album's lengthy production.[12]

Throughout the majority of 2014, work on the album progressed at the band's private recording studio in London, though, focus often diverted to other projects, such as a cover of David Bowie's "Five Years", released on Record Store Day, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Infectious Records' relaunch.[29] Dougy Mandagi also briefly parted from recording of the album, travelling back to Los Angeles to record vocals for electronic dance music artist Steve Angello's "Wasted Love".[30][31] Recording was also briefly held in lieu of another headline and festival tour of Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, which played out from late 2014 to early 2015.[32][33][34]

During late 2014 and early 2015, the band moved recording and production over to Montreal, Quebec, at the Golden Ratio Studios, where they worked with Canadian music producer Damian Taylor, who had previously worked with American rock band The Killers on their 2011 album Battle Born, and as a creative companion to Icelandic musician Björk.[12][14][35] An initial version of the album with 13 tracks was tracked at the end of April 2015, however, the creative process continued when additional songs were written and recorded for the album.[36] Numerous delays pushed the recording and production of the album well into 2015, despite an open declaration early in that year, by Mandagi, that the album would be soon completed.[14][35] By then, the band had collaborated with European producer Pascal Gabriel, co-writer and producer of various Marina and the Diamonds and Goldfrapp tracks, British songwriter and producer Justin Parker, known for his work with American recording artist Lana Del Rey, and American producer Ben H. Allen, who had previously produced albums for art rock acts Animal Collective and Deerhunter.[13] Ultimately, in October 2015, after 32 months of recording, the album's production entered the audio mixing phase.[36] Mandagi expressed dissatisfaction with the album's lengthy recording process, though insisted that he and the band were, in contrast, satisfied with the outcome of the production, stating, "sometimes it was ok, sometimes it was a bit trying but you know nothing good comes easy we just had to keep at it. We didn't put it out until it was right, 'til we felt right."[17]

Promotion

Shortly before the album was completed and unveiled, the album's title track, "Thick as Thieves", was premiered on Australian youth radio station Triple J on the night of 28 February 2016, after the band announced the premiere on social media.[16][17] The track also subsequently appeared on a single released the next day.[37] On 11 April 2016, Thick as Thieves was officially unveiled by The Temper Trap, Liberation and Glassnote Records.[13][38] The band wrote, in a press release regarding the announcement, "Finally it's here! No one can accuse us of rushing things. We're definitely slow burners when it comes to writing albums so we're beyond excited to share these new songs with you."[39] The album's track list, artwork, and 10 June release date were detailed,[15] with pre-orders for compact disc and digital download versions of the album, in addition to a limited-edition white vinyl 10" LP version of the album, becoming available on the same day. A deluxe edition of the album was also pressed, containing three additional tracks - "Providence", "On the Run", and "Closer".[lower-alpha 2] In addition to the announcement, the album's fifth track, "Fall Together" was premiered through a video uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel,[13][15] and appeared on a single, released in the United States on 12 April 2016.[42] "Fall Together" is also penned to be solicited as a promotional single to United States Triple A and Alternative / Modern rock radio on 2 and 3 May 2016, respectively.[43][44]

The Temper Trap will support the release of Thick of Thieves with a limited-date tour and various appearances at worldwide music festivals, including We the Fest, Field Day, and the Dot to Dot Festival.[45][46][47] Their headline tour includes a tour of Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia, with the tour in Australia being their first major one in three years, since serving as a supporting act on the Mylo Xyloto Tour in 2012 and their Australian east coast tour in 2013.[48] Their tour includes a three-day venture in early May 2016, to small, intimate venues, consisting the Metro Theatre in Sydney, New South Wales, the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, and The Triffid in Brisbane, Queensland.[49][50] The band will also make appearances in similar venues in the United States in June 2016, at The Mezzanine and the Fonda Theatre in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, and at the Webster Hall in New York City, New York. The band will also perform at alike venues, including the O2 Academy in Oxford and The Moth Club in London, England.[51]

Track listing

Thick as Thieves[52]
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Thick as Thieves"  Jonathon Aherne · Toby Dundas · Pascal Gabriel · Joseph Greer · Dougy Mandagi[lower-alpha 1] 3:53
2. "So Much Sky"    4:28
3. "Burn"    3:29
4. "Lost"    4:32
5. "Fall Together"  Richard Scott Cooper · Mandagi · Justin Parker[lower-alpha 1] 3:20
6. "Alive"    3:34
7. "Riverina"  Aherne · Dundas · Gabriel · Greer · Mandagi[lower-alpha 1] 3:35
8. "Summer's Almost Gone"    5:08
9. "Tombstone"    4:16
10. "What If I'm Wrong"    4:54
11. "Ordinary World"  Aherne · Dundas · Gabriel · Greer · Mandagi[lower-alpha 1] 3:52
Total length:
45:01

Personnel

The Temper Trap

Production

Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog no.
Standard edition
Australia[lower-alpha 3] 10 June 2016 Liberation Records CD · Digital · 10" LP LMCD0291 (CD)
INFECT289LP (10" LP)
United Kingdom[55] Digital N/A
United States[56] Glassnote Records N/A
Deluxe edition
Australia[lower-alpha 2] 10 June 2016 Liberation Records CD · Digital LMCD0292 (CD)
United Kingdom[57] Digital N/A
United States[58] Glassnote Records N/A

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 The writing credits attributed to "Thick as Thieves", "Fall Together", "Riverina", and "Ordinary World" are sourced from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' songwriting credits database, which can be found at this link.
  2. 1 2 Citiations for Australian release of Thick as Thieves (Deluxe Edition): Compact Disc,[40] Digital download[41]
  3. Citiations for Australian release of Thick as Thieves: Compact Disc,[53] Digital download,[52] 10" LP record[54]
Citations
  1. 1 2 Young, Alex (13 June 2012). "The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 Fullerton, Jamie (18 May 2012). "The Temper Trap - 'The Temper Trap'". New Musical Express (NME). Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. Bellman, Sarah (6 June 2012). "Album Review: The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap". LA Music Blog. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  4. Adams, Cameron (28 May 2012). "The Temper Trap score No.1 album". The Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2013 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  6. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  7. "The Temper Trap by The Temper Trap". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. May 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  8. Petridis, Alexis (18 May 2012). "The Temper Trap: The Temper Trap – review". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Residency: The Temper Trap (video). Australia: Corona Extra. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2016 via Vimeo.
  10. 1 2 Brandle, Lars (5 June 2016). "The Temper Trap Recording Demos in Paradise, Making Progress on Third Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  11. Adams, Cameron (1 January 2015). "The music albums to watch in 2015". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Australian Associated Press (6 January 2015). "Temper Trap and the third album tease". Daily Mail. Daily Mail and General Trust. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Payne, Chris (11 April 2016). "Temper Trap Is Back: Band Premieres New Anthem, Details Forthcoming Album (Exclusive)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
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  15. 1 2 3 Connick, Tom (12 April 2016). "The Temper Trap return - hear 'Fall Together' from new album 'Thick as Thieves'". DIY. Sonic Media Group. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  16. 1 2 Mack, Emmy (29 February 2016). "Hear The Temper Trap's First New Song In Years". Music Feeds. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Triple J staff. "Listen to The Temper Trap's first new music in 4 years 'Thick As Thieves'". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  18. Egging, Kiel (12 March 2013). "The Temper Trap Working With Frank Ocean’s Producer For Third Album". Music Feeds. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
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  50. Moskovitch, Greg (16 March 2016). "The Temper Trap Announce First Shows In Three Years". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
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External links

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