The Temper Trap break nine-year silence with new single ‘Lucky Dimes'

Courier-Mail

2 days ago

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Aussie global hitmakers The Temper Trap are back together after a nine-year hiatus with a surprise new song 'Lucky Dimes.'
The quartet have been riding high on social media and streaming over the past 18 months with a succession of popular remixes of their 2009 smash 'Sweet Disposition'.
The love for that song continues at home with 'Sweet Disposition' landing at No. 11 on Triple J's recent Hottest 100 Australian Songs poll.
They also enjoyed a viral moment when TikTok fans resurfaced a track by late rapper Mac Miller which heavily sampled the Temper Trap's hit 'Love Lost' and now has more than 400 million streams.
Frontman Dougy Mandagi blamed burnout and a fear of repeating themselves for the band's long break between their 2016 album Thick as Thieves and their return to the singles game with 'Lucky Dimes'.
The Temper Trap brings back 80s band photo style to launch new single. Picture: Alberto Zimmerman / Supplied.
'There was a little bit of burnout, but for me personally, I think I just couldn't see a path forward at the time where we would do something that would sound fresh and new and exciting,' he said from his London home.
'It just seemed like if we were going to get back in the studio … that we would just come out with more of the same and I didn't want to be in the studio for another 18 months doing Sweet Disposition 2.0.
'I needed to take a break and do other things and soak in more inspiration from life, the world, and different music, and I pursued a side project, a solo project as well, which was fun to do.'
Mandagi got the band back together with Jonny Aherne, Toby Dundas and Joseph Greeran two years ago and have been steadily working on new songs as well as returning to festival stages.
The Temper Trap have been enjoying viral success with Sweet Disposition remixes. Picture: Supplied.
He said the older, wiser quartet were closer both personally and professionally after the members spent almost a decade pursuing their own creative endeavours and raising their respective children.
'I think the band is in a much better place now, we're closer than we've ever been,' Mandagi said.
'I would dare say that we actually had even more fun writing this record than we did the first record, when we first got together.
'It's cool, we've just been through a lot in life, we all have families now and I guess there's less ego in the room.'
The band are working out tour dates in Australia for early 2026. Picture: Supplied.
The darker-edged 'Lucky Dimes' has a 90s electronic rock vibe similar to Garbage, who have just announced their return to Australia for the first tour in a decade with the Good Things festival.
The band worked with Grammy-nominated Aussie producer Styalz Fuego whose credits include hits with Troye Sivan, Charli XCX and Khalid.
'I'm a 90s child so I was the right age to receive all that good music. So yeah, we're just tapping into stuff we like,' he said.
The single is out now with The Temper Trap still confirming plans to return for an Australian tour in early 2026.
Originally published as The Temper Trap break long silence with new single after going viral with debut hit Sweet Disposition