Album Review: The Temper Trap The Temper Trap

All the success of their 2009 debut, Conditions, makes The Temper Trap's self-titled second album highly anticipated, not just here at home but also in the UK and US. Having upgraded keyboardist Joseph Greer to a permanent member and enlisting the talents of Beck collaborator Tony Hoffer as producer, this is an offering that moves away from guitar-led rock and into a world driven by synths and littered with grand, sweeping moments.

Focusing on the magic of Doug Mandagi's trademark falsetto and accompanied by sweet acoustic hooks, Rabbit Hole is the single which best bridges the music from their past work to now. Which probably explains why it was 'unofficially released' first to radio. The recent single, Need Your Love, and mid-album track, Never Again, are thick with fuzzy synths and driving drums that sound as though they were built to fill stadiums, and there are plenty of these moments throughout. To counterbalance this grandeur, flashes of quiet are found in Dreams and Miracle with sparse, dreamlike electronic soundscapes, the latter warming with harmonies at the chorus. Straying into social commentary for London's Burning, their most creative track was born out of first-hand experience, the boys finding themselves caught up in the epicentre of last year's London riots. Samples from news broadcasts, pulsing synths and chanting choruses lead the song to a panicked crescendo – an intelligent interpretation of the event.

Perhaps the strongest indication of things to come is Trembling Hands. Brooding and atmospheric, its grandness is reminiscent of recent Coldplay work, perhaps the arena-sized space these boys are headed for.