The band comments: "We are beyond excited to finally announce the release of our brand new album "Signs." Predominantly recorded last year in New York USA with Producer Shep Goodman (Four Years Strong, Bayside), and also featuring two tracks from our UK sessions with Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, INME). It's a collection of songs that we feel perfectly represents our sound and us for both familiar ears to the band and new audiences alike."
"Signs" will immediately resonate with people that are no strangers with TEMPLETON PEK's sound. Comparisons can and will be drawn to the likes of Rise Against, Funeral For A Friend, Story Of The Year, or even the early days of the Foo Fighters galvanized with influences from the 90's Fat Wreck and So-Cal movements. The new album is a blatant in-your-face display of TEMPLETON PEK's confidence in their art and their unapologetic belief in what they do.
TEMPLETON PEK spent the summer of 2011 supporting USA giants Rise Against across Europe and appearing alongside Good Charlotte and Bullet for My Valentine at major festivals. The band signed to Century Media Records and headed into Modern World Studios with producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers /Bullet For My Valentine) to create their EP "Slow Down For Nothing" which was released in 2012 and was supported with live dates alongside SUM 41 and Four Year Strong.
The band has already debuted the single "What Are You Waiting For" from this EP. To listen to the track, head over to Century Media's official YouTube: http://youtu.be/ANx6gk8ZmPk
Fans can expect touring in support of the album in 2013 and beyond. Some European summer festival appearances have also been announced. So stay tuned, full touring schedule announcement coming soon!
Background:
Since this industrious unit’s inception back in early 2008, TEMPLETON PEK have certainly made a name for themselves as a seasoned touring outfit, racking up impressive supports with the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence, Pennywise, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Funeral For A Friend, Killswitch Engage, Taking Back Sunday, No Use For A Name, All Time Low, Zebrahead, Millencolin and Story Of The Year. In a little over two years, they’ve bagged arena shows on Taste Of Chaos and Give It A Name Tours and relentlessly headlined shows throughout the UK and Europe. Last year they also toured with Epitaph’s Welsh crew The Blackout, spanning the depths of Luxembourg, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Rep, Switzerland and Belgium.
TEMPLETON PEK’s debut album “No Association”, unleashed during the winter of 2008, garnered much critical acclaim, gathering famous fans along the way including Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) quoting the album as “an excellent album…razor sharp nuggets.” The band also enjoyed expansive media coverage from the likes of MTV2, Scuzz, Kerrang! Radio, XFM, BBC 6music, Rocksound, Big Cheese, SLAM! and Kerrang! Magazine.
The band’s eagerly awaited second album, “Scratches & Scars” raised the bar both musically and lyrically. With driving rhythms and almost effortlessly woven punk-rock melodies, the three-piece have produced an album of boundless sincerity packed with punchy riffs and peppered with alluring hooks, all set against a modern-day backdrop. From the anthemic and fiercely rhythmic first single “Barriers” which racked up Record Of The Week on Kerrang! Radio, to the bone crushing melodic hardcore beatings of “Made To Waste”, through to the innovate dynamism and astute guile of “Red_Lights_Flash” (which is also featured on the Colin McCrae: Dirt 2 game soundtrack alongside the likes of Biffy Clyro, Queens Of the Stone Age and You Me At Six), “Scratches & Scars” is a clear statement of intent fuelled by a candid and earnest driving DIY ethos. Recorded, written and produced solely by the band, it’s evident that the progressive trio are not manufactured, are not dictated to for how they should sound, and strive with integrity towards uncharted pathways.
“Slow Down For Nothing” (EP):
Signs: The first song we wrote post “Scratches & Scars” sessions. A great summary of the band with cross sections of different styles which gives a good taste of what we are about. Theme-wise; The song is about looking forward and not clinging to the past, a theme that resonates throughout this EP, as we feel it’s a real transition for us.
What Are You Waiting For: We knew straight away that this song would work well with real strings. It turned out better than we expected, very epic. For us this is the most radio friendly song on the EP, and again has quite a few styles in there including an uplifting middle eight. This song is about having patience and picking your battles to win the war. Sometimes you need to lose to win.
Clarity: A powerful anthem of taking control of your own destiny and moving onwards beyond doubt, this song translates great live.
Call To Disarm: A strong opening riff and pacey feel with a nice breakdown section before unleashing to the end. This song is about making your own luck and not waiting or relying on someone to do your work for you.
Conflict In Memory: This song is about how different people percieve the same thing. Everyone’s recollections are their own. A very anthemic chorus breaks up a viscious verse accompanied by some haunting strings.
"Scratches & Scars" Reviews:
"Scratches & Scars sways between earnest mid-pacers and fired up, faster numbers that spring forth with a cross to bear and a point to prove." KERRANG! MAGAZINE
"A high-octane affair rammed to the gills with soaring vocal melodies, unshakeable choruses and relentless energy...Templeton Pek are proving one of Britain's brightest prospects. Don't let this pass you by. " METAL HAMMER MAGAZINE
"All punk rock spirit and modern rock heft, these meaty tunes are destined to inspire a million raised fists and bursting lungs." ROCK SOUND MAGAZINE
"Arguably seen as the UK's answer to US punk bands Green Day and Sum 41...Templeton Pek have some amazingly catchy tunes.... energetic, melodic punk music that works well and they deserve a lot more recognition." BIG CHEESE MAGAZINE
Signs
Templeton Pek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As they try to cut you down
Can’t get away from this
They will try to shut this out
Are we abandoned yet?
They will never know
When the signs are crystal clear
You can hear it calling out
If there’s nothing left to lose
If the future feels so far from here
Did we burnout far too soon?
Burn away
As these voices break and tear
And the words come screaming out
Can’t throw the blame at this
They will try and run you out
Are we abandoned here?
They will never know
When the signs are crystal clear
You can hear it calling now
If there’s nothing left to lose
If the future feels so far from here
Did we burnout far too soon?
Did you see this coming miles away?
Did we fail this like you knew?
Burn away
Can we just stop falling?
Can we hold this line forever?
Or burn out like before?
If we face this end we never fall
If there’s nothing left to lose
If the future feels so far from here
Did we burnout far too soon?
Did you see this coming miles away?
Did we fail this like you knew?
Burn away
The lyrics of the song Signs by Templeton Pek seem to be describing a feeling of hopelessness and the fear associated with it. The opening line "You can smell the fear in here" suggests that the atmosphere is charged with apprehension and unease. The following lines indicate that the subject is facing opposition and attempts to be silenced. "Can't get away from this, they will try to shut this out" implies that there is an attempt to stop the subject from doing something, but they refuse to give up. The repetition of "Are we abandoned yet? They will never know," expresses a sense of feeling abandoned and ignored in their struggle to overcome resistance.
The chorus reflects the idea of facing a hopeless situation, asking if they have "burnt out far too soon." The lines "If there's nothing left to lose, if the future feels so far from here" echo the feeling that nothing can be done to salvage the situation, and the subject has lost all hope. However, the line "Did you see this coming miles away? Did we fail this like you knew?" suggests that there was some kind of warning, but it went unheeded, leading to the current situation. The line, "Burn away" repeated in the chorus, can mean an urge to escape the situation by burning away the difficulties or could symbolize their lives burning away with hopelessness.
The second verse, much like the first, describes a situation in which the subject feels helpless, with voices breaking and tearing, indicating that others are trying to discredit the subject by any means possible. "Are we abandoned here? They will never know" conveys the sense of being left to face their struggles alone. The chorus repeated again reinforces the sense of hopelessness, but it ends with the line "If we face this end, we never fall," which hints at the possibility of a new beginning or hope to beat the obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
You can smell the fear in here
The atmosphere is thick with apprehension and unease
As they try to cut you down
Others are working to undermine and destroy you
Can’t get away from this
There's no escaping the situation at hand
They will try to shut this out
Others will try to ignore or silence the truth
Are we abandoned yet?
Are we completely alone in our struggles?
They will never know
Others cannot truly understand the depth of our pain
When the signs are crystal clear
The clues and warnings are evident and obvious
You can hear it calling out
It's impossible to ignore the impending danger
If there’s nothing left to lose
When we feel like we've hit rock bottom
If the future feels so far from here
When we can't imagine a positive outcome for ourselves
Did we burnout far too soon?
Did we give up too quickly, before things had a chance to change?
Burn away
Let go of the past, and start anew
As these voices break and tear
People are speaking fiercely and passionately
And the words come screaming out
The message is urgent and demanding
Can’t throw the blame at this
We cannot solely assign guilt or fault to a single cause
They will try and run you out
Others will make every effort to push you away
Are we abandoned here?
Do we stand alone in this struggle?
When the signs are crystal clear
All the warnings are present and recognizable
You can hear it calling now
The urgency has reached its peak
Did you see this coming miles away?
Could you predict the current state of affairs from a long time ago?
Did we fail this like you knew?
Could we have done things differently to change the outcome?
Can we just stop falling?
Is there any hope of preventing further decline?
Can we hold this line forever?
Will we be able to maintain our ground against opposition?
Or burn out like before?
Or will we give up and let our flame die out, like in the past?
If we face this end we never fall
If we confront the end head-on, we will not crumble
Contributed by Sarah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.