FEATURED ARTIST *TEMPLE SOLAR*
- Tamara Jenna
- May 19, 2022
- 2 min read
FEATURED ARTIST
TEMPLE SOLAR
Santiago, Chile
BACKGROUND
Chilean darkwave band 'Temple Solar' use their music to capture a picture of their capital city of Santiago in a mix of elegant and dark songs that are found in their latest EP. 'City' aims to capture a specific lense - the night. So, who are Temple Solar? Guitarists Carlos and Alvaro create a duo of dreams! JC joins in to give some bass, JJ Vallego gives us the drum beats, and last but not least, Daniel provides the vocals.
CITY REVIEW
'City' is a six-track project by Temple Solar. Opening the project with the dark and heavy guitar is a track named 'Silent Dance'. This is a track that sets great energy for the remaining parts of this project. Packed with guitar solos that will blow your mind, this band is guaranteed to awaken the darker parts of your soul. Track 2 entitled 'CityScape' offers something a little lighter through its opening. A dreamy almost dream-pop vibe takes us through the gaps in the project in between the dark indie-rock vocals. I like the way that this band addresses the darker sides to life through their music whilst remaining quite upbeat at times. Midpoint through the album we're given 'Dreaming' a track that takes a grungey and eerie turn when compared to the previous two tracks on this project. The tone of the vocals is quite low and monotone throughout. This adds a great level of disturbance to the track and gives it its signature darkwave eerieness. There's a hint of Brandon Flowers found in the vocal style here. 'Bitter Love' comes in heavy with electric guitar riffs and distorted bass to create something intriguing. There are so many synth elements embedded in this piece along with a variety of guitar riffs that take you through a rollercoaster of a journey. I love the style - it's dark, classic rock but also funky in places with a modern synth-rock twist. Track 5 entitled 'World of Lies' offers something completely new to the project by placing a synth melody at the forefront of its opening. Of course, we hear those heavy electric guitars in this track once more. This track is uneasy in lyrics and execution but packed with energy and genius. The use of space is perfect, there are gaps in between vocals to offer space for guitar progressions. This is ultimately what makes this track stand out. Ending the project is 'Endless Domino'. This track ends the project with a vibe that we're guaranteed to remember. Dark once more but combined with a contrast of minor and major arrangements. This really adds something special to the project. Overall, I really love 'City'. I think it's different but not too different to make sense of. It offers the familiarities of similar darkwave artists but also offers a sprinkle of Temple Solar. 10/10 from me. Click the link below to check out their Bandcamp page!
