London-based producers Duncan Stump (Mock) and Nick Woolfson (Toof)’s second album consists of dark melancholic beats that create a mellow flow and easy listen.
Opening with the rhythmic ‘Confusion Time’, the first track features the slow and electronic tone that reigns over much of the album. Featuring the Switzerland urban artist Ghostape on many of the tracks, the vocals remain in tune with the music and add life to the dark instrumental beats. Although many of the beats consist of a dance-like feel, they are on a constantly relaxed and pending flow which creates a repetitive rhythm throughout most of the album.
Tracks such as ‘Don’t Work, Don’t Care’ have notable instrumentals and the tracks ‘Get Out the Way’, ‘Walking the Streets’ and ‘Snowball’ stand out with more energetic and futuristic beats that exhibit more of the dance genre that their previous album Turning Echoes consisted of. These tracks create a more lively and techno feel but unfortunately do not dispel the grim undertone that dominates Temporary Happiness.
Comparing this new album to their last album, songs such as ‘Happy Crash’ are similar to previous steady songs like ‘P2160’ but overall it does not match up to the hype and quality of Turning Echoes. The track ‘Everything is Known’ continues the slow blend of electronic and indie rock that conquers the album.
Many of the songs share an all too similar style of sound however; ‘My Head’ and ‘Sleeper’ are both among the other examples of songs that show this. There are no songs that are unique in their own right though the album does become more appealing after the first listen.
Not a ground breaking or memorable album, Temporary Happiness is a mixture of contrasting and experimental instrumental beats and vocals that differ from the mainstream sound that makes up most of today’s electro genre.