The Tempilstiks make an entrance with their debut single, ‘Over and Over’
Words: Lydia Carter
★★★★★
‘Over and Over’ is the debut single from Scottish rock band The Tempilstiks, hailing from Aberdeen - and what a way to make an entrance. The track sets the tone for what I hope becomes their signature sound: emotionally charged rock with vocals that taste of honesty in the best way.
Photo: Kev Smith
The song opens slow, almost calm, before slamming into the thick of it. My first thought? Yeah, this would be great live. And really, isn’t that exactly what you want from a song? To be thrashing around in a crowd, the band feeling like part of the pit themselves … and The Tempilstiks give exactly that energy and more.
Lyrically, ‘Over and Over’ feels like it was written by someone caught in an emotional loop; a cycle they know they should break from but can’t (or won’t). The repetition of lines like “We’re going round in circles, stuck on repeat” drives that point home. It’s not about polish or prettiness, it’s about raw emotion, and it works.
There is a self-awareness in the verses that makes it even more likeable. “Is it my psyche or am I insane?,” but when the chorus goes back to the same cycle, it feels deliberate. Simple, but smart. We’re trapped in the song with the band, over and over. There’s a gritty realism in the catchiness; something unpolished, confrontational, even a little nihilistic. If that’s what they were going for, then they’ve nailed it.
‘Over and Over’ feels like a shout from the back of a dim venue (you know the kind – the best kind) … the sound of someone trying to break free but choosing to jump back into the chaos instead. You can feel this in the way the song gets faster, the lyrics tighter, the voice a little rawer. As the song closes with “over and over and over again,” it is reminiscent of a tune playing for infinity, of a writer giving in to the worst parts of themselves. And it makes for a cracking debut song.
There’s a sound to The Tempilstiks that’s missing in much of today’s music, and they’re filling in the gaps. It doesn’t feel like they’re a band to be contained to one genre, and people will love the truth in their talent: the messy, self-aware, and painfully relatable kind.
If this debut song is anything to go by, they are a band worth watching. I, for one, am excited for what more they have to offer in their upcoming EP.