The Temper Trap have revealed details of their long-awaited fourth album Sungazer, the first studio release from the Melbourne band in a decade, alongside the emotional title track written by frontman Dougy Mandagi for his son.
by Paul Cashmere
Melbourne indie rock band The Temper Trap have confirmed the release of their fourth studio album Sungazer, arriving on 10 July through Mushroom Music and Virgin Music Group. The announcement arrives with the unveiling of the album’s title track, Sungazer, a deeply personal song written by vocalist Dougy Mandagi for his young son.
The record marks the band’s first full-length studio album in a decade and follows a period where the group stepped back from constant touring and recording to reset creatively and personally.
For The Temper Trap, the arrival of Sungazer represents both a return and a recalibration. After dominating alternative playlists and festival stages during the 2010s with songs including Sweet Disposition and Love Lost, the band paused activity in 2018 to address burnout and pursue individual projects.
That break ultimately reshaped the group’s approach to songwriting. When they reconvened in the studio, working between continents and eventually regrouping in Melbourne, the sessions produced what the band describe as their most direct and personal collection of songs to date.
The title track Sungazer sits at the emotional centre of the album. Built with a slow-burning arrangement that evolves from introspective electronics into a full-band crescendo, the song reflects Mandagi’s experience of becoming a father.
“Sungazer is a song I wrote as a declaration to my little boy Ziggy before he was born,” Mandagi said. “The lyrics are a promise to him, to be with him throughout his life.”
Across the album, The Temper Trap move through a wide palette of sounds, from guitar-driven indie rock to darker electronic textures. Mandagi’s distinctive vocal style remains the focal point, guiding songs that shift between intimate reflection and stadium-scale energy.
In a joint statement, the band said the album captured a renewed sense of purpose after their extended break.
“With time apart and much personal growth from us all, Sungazer feels like it’s captured the most pure collection of music we’ve ever made,” the group said. “We had more fun making this record and in the writing room than on any of the previous records we’ve done. We’re in a great place creatively and in our friendships, we’re closer than ever. Being back into the studio together really felt like coming home.”
The album follows a series of preview tracks released in recent months, including Giving Up Air, Into The Wild and Lucky Dimes, songs that have already begun building momentum on international streaming platforms and US alternative radio.
Few Australian bands from the late 2000s indie wave achieved the sustained global presence of The Temper Trap. Formed in Melbourne in 2005 by Mandagi, bassist Jonathon Aherne and drummer Toby Dundas, the group quickly developed an international profile after relocating to London.
Their 2009 debut album Conditions introduced Sweet Disposition, a song that became a defining indie anthem of its era. The track has since surpassed one billion streams worldwide and earned multi-platinum certification across multiple territories.
The band followed with the self-titled album The Temper Trap in 2012 and Thick As Thieves in 2016, both of which debuted at No.1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and won industry recognition at the ARIA Awards.
Over the years, The Temper Trap have appeared at major festivals including Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Primavera and Big Day Out, while their music has maintained cultural relevance through remixes and collaborations that have reintroduced their catalogue to younger audiences.
Recent renewed interest includes remixed versions of Sweet Disposition circulating across global dance music charts and a collaboration using Love Lost that appeared on a posthumous project by Mac Miller.
The band’s hiatus after 2018 was not simply a pause in touring activity. Each member moved into different creative environments, a shift that inevitably influenced the direction of the new album.
Mandagi relocated to Berlin where he immersed himself in the city’s electronic music scene before eventually returning to Indonesia, while Dundas established a recording studio and began composing music for film projects. Aherne pursued solo material from his base in the United States, and keyboardist and guitarist Joseph Greer devoted time to music education.
That geographical and creative distance reshaped the way the band worked on Sungazer. Early demos were exchanged remotely before the group eventually reunited in Melbourne for recording sessions that consolidated the material into a cohesive album.
The next phase of the band’s return begins immediately after the album announcement. The Temper Trap will head to North America this July and August supporting Muse on an extensive arena tour while also appearing at major US festivals including Outside Lands in San Francisco and Summerfest in Milwaukee.
With Sungazer set for release on 10 July, the album represents the first major chapter of The Temper Trap’s second decade as a band, reconnecting a catalogue that defined the 2010s with a new body of work shaped by time, distance and personal change.
The Temper Trap – Sungazer
Lucky Dimes
Into The Wild
These Arms
Bird On A Wire
Giving Up Air
Sungazer
Lifeline
Runaways
Halfway
Dystopia Radio
Kuru
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