Temples of Youth

Dealing in icy, electro-soul fantasy worlds and moody, post-club comedowns, Temples Of Youth – aka Paul Gumma and Jo Carson – have a way of creating swelling, melancholic atmospherics that feel like they should be the backdrop to an ITV crime drama. ‘Dunes’ in particular throws up images of Olivia Coleman wandering around wind-swept cliff edges looking pensive and forlorn, whilst Carson’s restrained delivery sets an idyllic scene – “The highway led us back/The sunset lit the tracks/In dunes are buried memories.”

The Winchester duo follow a similar template of nocturnal, synthy downbeats that was scratched out by The XX a few years ago and turn it into classy pop set-pieces. Go back a little bit further and you can also hear traces of Everything But The Girl’s dejected disco odes, and Florence Welch’s dreamy storytelling and dramatic imagination is also in the mix.

The burst of 80s guitar euphoria comes as an added surprise on ‘Enso’, whilst the washes and waves of keyboard effects transform it into an outright emotional storm. Somewhere between a sparse, modern R’n’B track and a lighters-in-the air, electro-pop power ballad, it’s break-up music that steadily builds from dignified snivelling into snot-flying, red-faced blubbing. Just wonderful. - Gigslutz

Winchester duo Temples Of Youth have always drawn on their own experiences when writing music.
Sometimes that will result in something uplifting, something inspiring – other times, though, will result in something rather more challenging.
New cut 'Churches' was written after band member Jo found herself being isolated with an organisation because she was a member of the LGBT community.
It's a plea for equality, turning a negative experience into something rather more positive. The arrangement is sparse, with those spider-like guitar lines recalling The xx.
The vocal is quietly soulful, patiently driving towards the conclusion. Check it out now. - CLASH