the sweets - temples

The Sweets

Temples
self-released; 2013

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The Sweets is comprised of Ash Baldi (drums), Will O’Brien (bass), Liam Owens (guitar) and Anthony Paterson (vocals/guitar). They began jamming in a church for a couple of years and went on to become part of the Melbourne music scene. For the last two years they have been working on their debut EP Temples, which is professional sounding album that sounds like quintessential indie rock. 

If someone asked me what would indie rock sound like in 2013 I might just pop in this debut. They have a sound that is almost universally appealing in which they sound familiar but at the same time can't be compared to one single source. They use a lot of reverb and the guitar riffs are reminiscent of licks you might here by The Walkmen, Deerhunter or even Wild Nothing. Paterson’s vocals are great throughout. His voice is appealing in a number of ways. Paterson’s delivery never feels forced and he also knows when to push it when needed.

The title track “Temples” utilizes clean reverb-laced guitars and warm pads to create a spacious atmosphere for the music to reside in. It also leaves lots of space to clearly hear the vocals, bass and drum work, which are all in the pocket. The song intensifies as it progresses but doesn’t get too heavy, which I think was a smart decision. “St. Marks” is just as good if not better than the opener. The Sweets utilize a lot of the same strategy as they did on the first song but it doesn't matter much because the songwriting is up to par. They switch things up a bit on “Stationary Bakery” as the song has some effective vocal harmonies as well as some of the best drum work on the album. Closing the album with “Conclude” that has a tinge of melancholy suits them well. 

So will this EP blow your mind? Probably not but if you want a batch of songs that are more than above average by four guys playing together in a room I would tell you to take a listen.

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