Templeton Pek: Track-by-Track-Kommentar zur neuen Platte

Am morgigem Freitag, dem 23. Februar veröffentlicht die britische Rock/Punk-Band Templeton Pek ihr neues Album „Watching The World Come Undone“. Zur Feier des Tages nahm sich die Kombo die Zeit und stellt euch die einzelnen Tracks des in Kürze überall erhältlichen Albums einmal genauer vor, während ihr gleichzeitig in bisher drei der insgesamt zehn Songs des fertigen Werkes reinhören könnt. Vorbestellen könnt ihr das mittlerweile fünfte Album von Templeton Pek übrigens hier.

Die neuen Tracks von Templeton Pek im Detail

1. NOWHERE TO HIDE

It’s kind of a statement that we’re now in a time where people need to let their opinions come through, we should no longer be “Slaves for Captains of Mayhem” as the opening line suggests, or face the fact your voice will become “Buried Underground.” This was one of the first songs structurally we completed, originally it was a lot longer, but we boiled it down to it’s key components and the result is a pretty explosive song that covers most facets of our style and a great opening song.

2. OBLIVIOUS

This song is about how we are all so self consumed with our own lives to notice much else, and we’re so fixated on getting to certain places that we don’t look around on the way. Song wise this song changed a lot through the writing process we started with the opening riff and verse melodies but something wasn’t sticking as a chorus. So we re-wrote a breakdown melody over a drum loop and it worked, I like this song as it’s completely different from what we usually do and yet fundamentally is still ‘us.’

3. THE AWAKENING

One of the songs we changed very little from since the early sessions, it’s about people waking up to the notion that their voices actually do count in how their lives are run. “They’re reigning over you, cut through the sound, we’re waking up to the likes of you” for example. Aside from the meaning behind the song it’s a strong melodic and singalong song that seems to be going down well live already, so as a music fan you can take the song on whatever level you like.

4. AXIS

Probably one of our more edgier songs on the album, this arrangement again was tampered with from the demo as the beginning was completely different. Davey felt the hook of the chorus was strong enough to open and close the song so we went with that and the end result is great. Some great chunky riffs, and vibey breakdown. The song is about having your world turned upside down, huge personal changes perhaps or even cosmic shifts in politics. It’s about dealing with those factors head on as your “Axis start to change.”

5. THE AFTERMATH

Almost a continuation from ‘The Awakening’ this is an extension of that idea. Especially with the audio sample from ‘The Network” where the news anchor has had enough and slams his fist that it’s OK to get angry, it’s time to get angry and say “you’re not gonna take this s*hit anymore”. We really wanted a grooving and jarring breakdown in this song so this worked well, it’s actually a blend of two early songs that we combined and produced together. This is also the song we based the album around with the line “Sit and watch the World just come undone” which became the concept for the album.

6. SIRENS

This was one of the last songs we produced in the original writing sessions in the UK, and when we got to the United States it changed the most. We sped it up, re-wrote a new chorus and middle, in fact the lyrics were written on the morning of recording the vocals so it’s the most fresh song on the album in terms of writing. ‘Sirens’ carries the same message and vein as much of the album, the consequences of our own actions (and in-action) reaching points where all hope is lost, places everyone goes to.

7. COLLISION COURSE

Furthering on from “Axis” this is also a song about confrontation of ideas and ideals I guess. When you form your own opinions whatever they may be you should not be afraid that they will inevitably clash with others. It also deals with themes of confusion and indecision about which course to take “The lost and the departed.” I like the juxtaposition of the aggressive verses against a melodic rock chorus but split up by a simple drum loop. Simple but effective, also it has a killer guitar riff to opening the song.

8. BLACK HEARTS

This is a song about being aware of darkness that resides within, and everyone has it to an extent and acknowledging it is absolutely OK. Some days you wake up and it is not going to be a good day whatever you attempt to do and time seems to not only drag but hurt, but it is only temporary “Seconds are wasting away, Hours are aching with pain.”

I like the building up structure of the song from quiet verse, to rocking bridge and driving chorus only to reveal a second melodic chorus that takes us to the high point of the song. I also like this song as it’s an unusual structure/sounding song for us trying something different.

9. CITY OF FIRE

This is a survivalist song, about weathering the storm of whatever is thrown at you because you are not done until you are done. Cities are unforgiving and perfect analogies for our daily lives as parts of cities are pleasant and welcoming and others are dark and literally burning down. Musically with this song we wanted simplicity and to boil down the essence of the song. Again with “Sirens” we altered the structure and re-wrote a stronger chorus once out in LA and I think it elevates the song from it’s previous version.

10. OUT ON OWN

The theme of this song is isolationism, feeling like you are the only person who has this opinion, or it’s you against the world. It’s about sticking to your guns “Find our feet and close our hearts, Out on our own.”

I really like the ending to this song which is why it’s a perfect album closer, it builds with atmospheric guitars and thundering drums to some ethereal vocals which ends the album perfectly with the line “Are we alone?”