Temple Invisible “Hold”

Fusing slinking trip-hop grooves to a track of their trademark industrial intensity, the duo of Irina Bucescu and Costas Ivanov prove they’ve lost none of their bite on their beguiling latest proposition.

A track about the inherent inquisitiveness of childhood and the powerful, expressive energy of human instinct, Irina explains:

““Hold” is about transforming our unconscious fascination for the past into the full force of the present moment. It is about the enthrallment that the small child has for his parents, about our perception of the feminine and masculine energies, the essential duality of our psyche, about bringing awareness to our unconscious attachment to our past and the unconscious burden of trying to recreate it. That “force” is our authenticity, which needs to be free from irrational and limiting constraints from our past, in order to bloom. The elation we’re talking about means that we don’t want to be a “walking life situation”, but a living, breathing being. It’s no small feat – finding balance. And in that process of deconstruction there is a mixture of first becoming aware of and then releasing aggressiveness, the need to control everything and, eventually, the feeling of loss. This initial “loss” transforms into finding that inner intersection, the chiasm of our true, authentic power and the actions that align with it.”

Striking somewhere between the spheres of Nine Inch Nails and Portishead, “Hold” creeps with sinister intent, Bucescu’s breathless vocals building over industrial beats as if commanding a mighty mechanism with sonic muscularity alone, the malevolent symbiosis of human and machine.

“Hold” is a strong indicator of what to expect from Temple Invisble’s upcoming ‘Chiasm’ EP, which arrives later this Spring. Featuring five all-new compositions of an awe-inspiring gravity and interstellar ambition, the songs of ‘Chiasm’ are all loosely connected by the love-hate relationship we as humans have with ourselves. Delving into our inner psyches, the EP reflects on those anxieties that pervade our perceptions and how they’re manipulated by fear, but also offers an in-depth examination of how our psyches change through time.

“‘Chiasm’ is a crossing point. The point in which the upward current and downward current meet and intertwine in ever-changing patterns” says Irina. “‘Chiasm’ is about the journey of our psyche – from being one with the universe (“Stardust”), to holding on to the fascination that the small child has for his parents (“Hold”) and the process of maturing (what you lose and what you gain)… Something we sometimes feel and at other times struggle to feel. It’s all about the journey.”

Produced, recorded and mixed by Temple Invisible’s Costas Ivanov, additional production comes courtesy of Irina Bucescu, final mastering for the ‘Chiasm’ EP was completed by Aneek Thapar.

Temple Invisible is an electronic-rock/electronica/trip-hop/industrial/genre-defying duo of Irina Bucescu and Costas Ivanov. Formed in 2012 in Bucharest, Romania, Temple Invisible‘s music diffuses a unique blend of electronic influences and musical genres combined with a classical sense of composition.

Since releasing their debut single ‘Disappearance’ in May 2014 they have performed regularly (pre-pandemic) at major festivals and venues in Romania, sharing the stage with notable acts such as Orbital, Modeselektor, Actress, Douglas Dare and Bonobo.

With their music playlisted on stations across the globe inc. the UK, USA, Russia, Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal; Temple Invisible have also been critically acclaimed by publications such as Clash Magazine, The FADER, VICE, Hunger Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, Richer Unsigned and many more.

Drawing comparisons to the likes of Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Gary Numan and more, the band have released two EP’s: ‘ENTER_’ (2014) and ‘Void’ (2017) to date. Losing none of their sci-fi indebted sonic invention or mystic allure in the interim years, Temple Invisible will release their visionary third collection ‘Chiasm’ on 29 April 2022.