Premiere: Timi Temple makes a hazy, alt-pop return with new single, Yuck My Yum
The king of Sydney DIY indie-pop makes a return with his first single of the year, and it's one that proves why he's newcoming royalty.
Timi Temple is someone we've eagerly watched from the sidelines ever since his debut a few years back, whether it be through his own solo project - one that has constantly delivered striking, alt-indie-pop gems since its debut - or through his work alongside acts like Kilter, Cosmo's Midnight and Kota Banks. He's someone whose imprint on a song is always felt; his fluttering guitar dancing amongst the productions of some of Australia's best, while a Timi Temple song in itself is always recognisable within its first few seconds - no-one else does it quite like him.
Timi's sharp lyricism and effortless charm is something that made itself known a couple of times throughout 2020, with three singles - Fa-Fa-Fading, Snakes & Ladders and just a phase - showing different facets of his alt-pop sound and how he's allowing it to grow amongst the social media-driven bedroom-pop explosion over the last year, ushered forward by international champions like Clairo and Gus Dapperton.
Timi does things a little different though, and on his first single for 2021 - Yuck My Yum - that becomes more clear than ever. It's a song that centres itself around the exact type of sharp, laid-back-yet-dark lyricism we're talking about, disguising the single's intimate underlying themes with colourful instrumentation and wind-swept vocals that give it a whole other sense of tone. It's something that Timi does best - he's proved that a couple of times now - and Yuck My Yum shows how his songwriting style is continuing to evolve and further itself as he grows.
"We've all been there; your high school lover, the one you saw yourself with forever, and they tell you they're bored and looking for someone new," he says on the single, which premieres on Pilerats today ahead of its official release this Friday, March 5th. "The analogy of Yuck My Yum actually came from a conversation with a past partner where she joked 'don't stink my kink’ after our talk about desires, and well, I couldn't write a song with that title, haha. Sonically I've always been fascinated by songs that sound happy and head boppy but lyrically are rather dark and intense - so this is my take on it."
It's a striking moment full of alt-pop technicalities and world-class songwriting, and - once again - Timi Temple has solidified his craft through a fun few minutes that really everyone can get on board with.
There's plenty more to come, but in the meantime, take a dive into Yuck My Yum as it premieres below: