NYC Synth-Pop Duo Tempers Wander a Metropolis Dreamscape in Their Video for “Sightseeing”

Photo by Julia Khoroshilov

NYC synth-pop duo Tempers take us on another spellbinding journey with their video for “Sightseeing”, a captivating and cathartic track featured on the pair’s forthcoming new album New Meaning.

The audio-visual phantasmagoria was created by Clayton McCracken (Charli XCX, Erick The Architect). The LA-based video synthesist crafted the video for “Sightseeing” by utilizing a mixed bag of touchdesigner programming, vintage video technology, 3D animation, and live improvisation. McCracken’s work primarily explores the role of natural forces in virtual settings, employing lights, liquids, and vapors to examine themes of entropy and technological ephemerality.

All of this works in perfect tandem with the lyrical narrative in “Sightseeing”, which perhaps alludes to some of the existential questions first visualized by Futurists a century ago during the dawn of cinema and modern metropolitan life.

Tempers’ Jasmine Golestaneh explains, “‘Sightseeing’ looks at the thrill and struggle of urban life. It’s a song about finding meaning by constantly dissolving, renewing, and redefining oneself, amidst the machinery of the city. The video explores how psychic traces left by memory can transform architecture, and animate parallel worlds. It’s also a continuation of an ongoing theme in our work, investigating the relationship between public and private space.”

Watch the video for ‘Sightseeing” below:

A soundtrack for an introspective journey by night, Tempers’ forthcoming album New Meaning is both elegant and brooding, brimming with existential angst and ethereal romance led by Jasmine Golestaneh’s powerful vocals, and Eddie Cooper’s captivating synth melodies.

The album’s themes are highlighted on its evocative cover photo, Lost Hotel (2016) by Beijing-based photography artist Chen Wei.

Included with the LP comes is a companion book of original artwork and lyrics, for which Golestaneh created a hand-made collage for each song, translating its sonic landscapes and lyrical themes into concrete images. The book is published by Old Habits Press.

New Meaning sees its release on April 1st via DAIS Records.

You can pre-order it here.

Additionally, Tempers plan to tour North America this spring ahead of a UK/EU summer run. Highlights include SXSW, LA, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and more. See below for a full list of dates.

TEMPERS LIVE DATES:

31-Mar-22: New York City, NY – Elsewhere Zone 1

02-Apr-22: Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum

04-Apr-22: Detroit, MI – Sanctuary

06-Apr-22: Madison, WI – U. Wisconsin

07-Apr-22: Iowa City, IA – Mission Creek Festival

10-Apr-22: Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle

12-Apr-22: Toronto, ON – The Garrison

13-Apr-22: Montreal, QB – Ritz

16-Apr-22: Seattle, WA – Crocodile 2nd Stage

17-Apr-22: Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios

19-Apr-22: San Francisco, CA – Milk Bar