The Temper Trap have doubled down on their long-awaited return with the release of ‘Giving Up Air’, their second single in six weeks after nearly a decade away.
The new track arrives hot on the heels of last month’s comeback cut ‘Lucky Dimes’ and further re-establishes the Melbourne-born band as one of Australia’s most celebrated musical exports.
Where ‘Lucky Dimes’ was a raw, guitar-driven indie rock anthem, ‘Giving Up Air’ takes a different turn, a towering, synth-laden piece built around a euphoric chorus primed for festival fields and late-night dancefloors. The song carries heavy emotional weight, with frontman Dougy Mandagi writing from the rawness of personal grief.
“It’s a very important song for me about a life-changing moment and the unimaginable pain of losing a loved one in tragic circumstances,” Mandagi explains. “It goes through the stages, shock, sorrow, anger, and then finding glimmers of hope somewhere in between. It was first written for my Bloodmoon project, but when we worked on it together as The Temper Trap, it felt like it had found its true home.”
The track was produced by Grammy-nominated Styalz Fuego, whose credits include Troye Sivan, Charli XCX, The Knocks and Khalid. The collaboration has added a polished, modern edge to The Temper Trap’s trademark sound.
‘Giving Up Air’ also signals momentum. It follows a flurry of renewed activity around the band in the past year, not only the new singles, but also a resurgence in their back catalogue. Their breakthrough hit ‘Sweet Disposition’ continues to find new life on global charts thanks to high-profile remixes from John Summit, Vintage Culture, VXSION and Lost Frequencies. Earlier this year, ‘Sweet Disposition’ landed at #11 in triple j’s Hottest 100 Australian Songs of All Time, cementing its place as one of the defining tracks in the country’s music history.
Another revival came when Mac Miller’s posthumous mixtape Faces included a re-work of The Temper Trap’s ‘Love Lost’. That collaboration alone has since amassed more than 400 million streams. Dougy Mandagi also featured on a rework of Moby’s cult track ‘Extreme Ways’, further broadening the band’s reach into new audiences.
It’s been 15 years since The Temper Trap first broke through with their debut album Conditions in 2009. Led by the global smash ‘Sweet Disposition’, the record launched the band from Melbourne stages to headlining festivals worldwide. Platinum certifications followed across Australia, the US, UK and Europe, alongside memorable appearances at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Primavera, Laneway Festival and Big Day Out.
The success rolled on with The Temper Trap (2012) and Thick As Thieves (2016), both debuting at #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Collectively, the band have clocked over one billion streams across their catalogue.
The comeback is not confined to the studio. The Temper Trap will return to Australian stages in October for their first headline shows here in nearly a decade. They’ll play Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney before heading abroad for shows in London, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. The band have also locked in a summer homecoming, closing out 2025 at Beyond The Valley festival.
For long-time fans, it’s a reminder of what made The Temper Trap one of Australia’s most internationally recognised bands of the 2000s. For newcomers discovering them through remixes and collaborations, it’s a chance to experience the source of the sound first-hand.
Mandagi summed up the feeling in a message to fans, “Thank you for all your support so far. It means the world to us, and reminds us why we continue to make music.”
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