STACK June 2016 Issue 140

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Dougy Mandagi and Joseph Greer say the theme of camaraderie came about quite by chance;
but it's fitting for a leaner Temper Trap's third record, Thick AsThieves. By Zoë Radas
TRIMMING
THETRAP
M ucking with electric knobs, a vocalist
refusing to sing, Takeshi’s Castle, Gaga
looking good, a studio space next to
Mark Ronson, a near-miss on an LA highway, an
Instagram snap that became a subconscious
symbol, and songs whose skins can be
expanded to embrace a stadium: the
conversation with Dougy Mandagi and Joseph
Greer about The Temper Trap’s new album Thick
As Thieves flows easily, which isn’t a small
achievement considering these two just played
a sold-out hometown show last night. “We’ve
been busy, yeah, the last few days,” vocalist
Mandagi smiles wearily over his glass of water.
In addition to gigantic singles Fall Together,
Thick As Thieves and Burn traversing the
airwaves, these shows have given Temper Trap
fans – rabid with curiosity – an idea of which
direction the now four-piece would take, having
shed lead guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto in late 2013.
“The objective was to really understand the
purpose of each part and be very intentional,”
Mandagi explains, “not just have someone do
something just because they’ve got nothing
else to do. I’m not going to start doing vocal
acrobatics just ‘cause. I think that each of
us should always serve the song, not serve
ourselves. There’s an art to understanding that,
to being sensitive to the song.”
This deliberate, “leaner” approach coincided
with a period of songwriting collaboration for
the band, which took them from their own
Tileyard studio in London – a creative arts
community in King's Cross, which is host to
the away-from-home studio for Mark Ronson,
among other musicians – to the States and in
between. “You still want to have the DNA of
the band – when we play [a track] together,
we're still conscious of it being a Temper
Trap song,” says keys and guitar player Greer.
Mandagi adds: “There are collaborators that
help you come out of your shell or help you
write, and there are writers that just want to
write for you.” He tells a brief story about an
unnamed ‘collaborator’ in LA who asked him
to play bass on a song. “He goes, ‘Don’t play
it like that, play it like this.’ I’m not even a bass
player!” “He thought he was getting a session
musician,” Greer chuckles. Mandagi continues,
throwing his arms into the air: “What the f-ck,
man, I drove all this way, and nearly got into
an accident on the freeway ‘cause I’m used to
driving on the other side of the road! So yeah,
I’ve seen and experienced a whole gamut of
different types.”
Thick As Thieves ’ songs are an engaging mix,
with huge ‘arena-ready’ tracks up at the
visit MUSIC FEATURE
10 JUNE 2016
MUSIC
Each of us should
always serve the song,
not ourselves