Their new album will be released on April 1.
Tempers' forthcoming album New Meaning is distinctly nocturnal music, elegantly introspective and quietly intense. Their new single "Nightwalking" is ice pop perfection. Jasmine Golestaneh's voice is both ethereal and towering as Eddie Cooper breathes life into the precision of electronics, and of melodic intervals.
"I took a lot of long walks at a time when people had abruptly vacated NYC, and left the remnants of their homes on the sidewalks," tells Golestaneh. "The city's landscape became very surreal - a ghost town turned inside out. I was thinking about how to stay open, and embrace life derailed. The sky over the city was a real source of mystery, in it's own world of pink sunsets, and sparkling nights. The contrast of that oblivious beauty amidst the pandemic chaos felt very special, and inspired the song."
With their self-produced New Meaning, Tempers present an album about navigating the unknown, coping mechanisms and exploring the nature of choice. Its ten songs reflect on the creation of meaning as an access to liberation in times of transition and loss, speculating on the transformative potential that exists alongside the grief of living in a world that is in an ongoing state of crisis.
Throughout New Meaning, Golestaneh and Cooper's production skews more evocatively greyscale, from new wave shadowplay to depressive disco to an elegy of hopeful resignation. The album's themes are echoed in the evocative cover photo, Lost Hotel (2016) by Beijing-based photography artist Chen Wei.
New Meaning is a document of forking paths and fleeting transcendence, the celebration of instability and impermanence, of embracing "a constant state of becoming." Ten anthems for a derailed age, fugitive and sympathetic, nightwalking through an "anguished city" towards a nameless future, poised for rebirth.
The album comes with a companion book of original artwork and lyrics. Golestaneh created a hand-made collage for each song, translating its sonic landscapes and lyrical themes into concrete images. The book is published by Old Habits Press.
New Meaning sees its release on April 1 via DAIS - pre-order here. The duo plan to tour North America this spring ahead of a UK/EU summer run. Highlights include SXSW, LA, NYC, Chicago, Seattle and more. See below for a full list of dates.
Listen to the new single here:
14-Mar-22: Austin, TX - SXSW
31-Mar-22: New York City, NY - Elsewhere Zone 1
02-Apr-22: Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum
04-Apr-22: Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
06-Apr-22: Madison, WI - U. Wisconsin
07-Apr-22: Iowa City, IA - Mission Creek Festival
10-Apr-22: Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
12-Apr-22: Toronto, ON - The Garrison
13-Apr-22: Montreal, QB - Ritz
16-Apr-22: Seattle, WA - Crocodile 2nd Stage
17-Apr-22: Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
19-Apr-22: San Francisco, CA - Milk Bar
20-Apr-22: Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
21-Apr-22: San Diego, CA - Whistle Stop
24-Apr-22: El Paso, TX - The Reagan
27-Apr-22: Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
28-Apr-22: Austin, TX - Mohawk
13-May-22: London, UK - Moth Club
18-May-22: Paris, FR - Point Éphémère
03-Jun-22: Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain
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