Lakefield Temple On Their Brand Of 'Dream-Synth-Pop-Rock' And Getting Your Foot In The Door

Lakefield Temple is a ‘dream-synth-pop-rock’ outfit hailing from Boorloo/Perth that you wish you’d heard of sooner.

Self-describing their sound as ‘songs about hope and failure, drenched in some sweet synths’, the four-piece blend reverb-doused plucking and floaty harmonies with 90s coming-of-age chords to create something worth sitting with. 

Originally a solo project by singer and synth player Randa Tobing, the band has grown into a collaborative force to be reckoned with. It features guitarist Ben Szabadics, drummer Isaac Woodland, multi-instrumentalist Sam Dawson, and saxophonist Brook Craig. Drawing inspiration from new wave, indie rock, modern shoegaze, and even Bruce Springsteen, the band delivers a well-rounded sound.

Recently recognized by Western Australian Music (WAM) and RTRFM’s On The Rise program, Lakefield Temple have begun to see the fruits of their labour playing throughout Perth’s indie circuit.  

With their newest single, The Days That Surround My Throat, released today and an album in the works for 2025, we sat down with the band to ask them about their story.

How did the band start?

Randa: I had released the solo Lakefield Temple EP and really wanted to play live, so I posted on a ‘seeking musicians’ page – I had a few people cycle through but none of them stuck around. Then Ben replied to the ad, we organized a rehearsal, and we really clicked, I think, over a jam of Red Eyes by The War on Drugs.

 Isaac: I was in the break room at work, and Ben mentioned offhand that he had joined a band that was looking for a drummer – it was almost cosmic as I had been thinking about getting into it anyway. Thought I’d see what it was like and just had a great time straight away.

 Sam: I went to school with Randa and was horrified when they played their first show without a bassist.

Is there a story behind the band name ‘Lakefield Temple?’

Randa: Not really any story. I was just thinking about a pretty name with nice imagery. In high school me and Sam used to use an online Indie Band Name Generator which primed us to shove some random words together.

You’re releasing your new single The Days That Surround My Throat this Friday. How was the process for making this project? 

Ben: We had some fragments from some jams and just assembled them in a couple hours one rehearsal?

Randa: Yeah, I took the bridge from another song I was writing and made it the chorus to this one and it just worked. Sam wasn’t there so we surprised him with a new song to write the bass to before a gig two days later. 

Ben: We didn’t even have the second verse at that show.

Sam: Recording it was one and done, we set up in Isaac’s house and plugged some cheap mics into some borrowed equipment. I think we did two takes and that was it.

What song are you most excited for fans to hear from the upcoming album? Does each member have a different favourite song?

 Isaac: I mean. The Days… it highlights us all so well.

Sam: Is it bad if we all say The Days?

Randa: I’m most excited for people to hear the band version of In The Tides; it’s so fun live. The Days is my favourite song, though.

Brook: I love the back half of Glistening Space, Silver Embrace. I think it was the first song of yours I heard.

Ben: Yeah, that one’s my pick. It’s swelled from a three-minute pop song to our big epic closer, and it’s so good. I’m so excited to get that out; we’re really pulling out all the stops for it.

I read that the band was originally a solo bedroom project started by Randa.

Randa, what are the most notable changes that have occurred from switching up DIY recording to recording in a studio? How do you find the change has enhanced your vision?

Isaac: I guess it’s closer to studio recording…

Ben: There’s definitely still a strong bedroom component.

Randa: I think having the band is the game changer. Having real people playing instead of my old synth and midi stuff makes the songs feel alive in a way I couldn’t do myself. It’s like this is what it was supposed to be this whole time. So many things these guys think of I just never would have come up with myself, as well.

The Fear music video dropped in October. Who came up with the concept and the ghost character?

Ben: Me and the music video director Alex were catching up one afternoon – we had been talking about a music video for the song, and we knew it had to be Halloween-themed. There were ideas floating around about a first-person camera looking through a sheet ghost costume. I came up with the stupid Sixth Sense-style twist of revealing it was a real ghost the entire time, and we thought that would be fun. He really fleshed out the video from there, and honestly, it’s his vision that’s made it as good as it turned out.

What local WA bands have inspired your journey?

Randa: I think it was Boat Show? It was Stella Donnelly’s old band, they had opened at Laneway a few years ago and then I saw she had got signed to Secretly Canadian which had Mac DeMarco, Phoebe Bridgers on the bill. It made me realise that this whole thing was possible.

Isaac: I love seeing the niche a lot of WA bands have carved out for themselves, and I’m inspired to do the same. I really enjoy seeing Girl Shaped Gun.

Sam: Dial Emma and All My Nights have been great; we’ve played a bunch of shows with them.

Brook: Lifetime Warranty, obviously.

Ben: We’ve got a Lifetime Warranty remix on our Spotify but their frontman Tav has engineered our album recordings and produced all our recent songs, we wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without their support. Also Brook is in the band. We were inspired to poach him.

You’ve currently had your music promoted by Western Australian Music (WAM), ABC’s Rage and RTRFFM’s ‘On The Rise’ Program. Do you have any advice for other up-and-coming bands for how to find opportunities?

Ben: I’m shocked by how much you can achieve by just emailing a guy. Look around for submission boxes and emails that suit your niche, talk to other bands and get their email lists.

Randa: On The Rise 2023 was our first show, which I got by just submitting to their competition.

Ben: Other than that – stick around at gigs and support the other bands. You’ll make friends, and those friends will get you opportunities, too. It’s a community, for sure.

To wrap up our Q&A, how can fans best show their support for Lakefield Temple?

Randa: The usual – we’re planning some cool shows for next year alongside more singles and our eventual album, so follow us on your preferred social media to keep up with that.

Ben: We’re still a small band so please tell a friend if you like our new song! Hearing about people that have built a personal connection to our music is super cool.

Lakefield Temple’s latest single The Days That Surround My Throat is out today, available on all major streaming platforms.