Australian indie rock band The Temper Trap open up about the grief, resilience, and fragile hope running through “Giving Up Air,” a soaring, emotionally charged anthem off their highly anticipated fourth album ‘Sungazer’ that moves through loss in real time while reaching toward something brighter on the other side.
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Stream: “Giving Up Air” – The Temper Trap
“Givin’ up air, layin’ it bare, hopin’ my dreams will reappear…”
Losing someone doesn’t arrive all at once – it unfolds in waves: Shock, sorrow, anger, and, if you’re lucky, fleeting glimmers of light breaking through the dark. On “Giving Up Air,” The Temper Trap channel that emotional arc into an expansive and overwhelming experience – a song that doesn’t just process grief, but moves through it in real time. Spirited and dynamic yet deeply human, it captures the disorienting push and pull of loss with a clarity that cuts straight through.
Disarm
Disarm my heart
Disarm, lay it down
All of the visions of you are fading
Where have they gone?
And this house feels like it’s sinking
(Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh)
Feels like it’s sinking
(Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh)
And it’s hard to breathe in
Originally released late last September, “Giving Up Air” continues to resonate months later – and now, with the announcement of the Australian indie rock band’s fourth studio album Sungazer (out July 10), it feels newly charged with purpose. The song stands as both a bridge and a breakthrough: A reminder of everything The Temper Trap have always done so well, and a signal of where they’re headed next.
Formed in Melbourne in the mid-2000s, The Temper Trap quickly became one of indie rock’s defining voices of the late 2000s and early 2010s, breaking through with their landmark debut Conditions and the era-defining single “Sweet Disposition.” Their music – expansive, cinematic, and emotionally immediate – resonated far beyond their home country, earning global acclaim, chart success, and a lasting place in the cultural fabric of a generation.
Over the years, the band have evolved without losing that core sense of emotional urgency, releasing two more studio albums while touring some of the world’s biggest stages and festivals. Even through periods of distance and reinvention, their sound has remained unmistakable – anchored in frontman Dougy Mandagi’s soaring, expressive voice and a gift for turning deeply personal experiences into something communal and universal. Today comprised of Dougy Mandagi, bassist Jonathon Aherne, drummer Toby Dundas, and guitarist Joseph Greer, The Temper Trap step into their next chapter with a renewed purpose and creative clarity – all brought to life through their refreshingly energized and invigorating new singles.
At its core, “Giving Up Air” is one of Dougy Mandagi’s – and by extension, The Temper Trap’s – most personal songs to date.
“This song is about a life-changing moment and the unimaginable pain of losing a loved one in tragic circumstances – from the initial shock to sorrow and then anger, and finding glimmers of hope somewhere in between,” he shares. What makes that perspective even more powerful is its distance: “This song isn’t about loss through my eyes but through the eyes of a mother losing her child… I wasn’t a parent when I wrote the song but now that I am, I understand it on a much deeper level.”
Givin’ up air, layin’ it bare
Hopin’ my dreams will reappear
When everything I know
is hangin’ on a prayer
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Givin’ up air, layin’ it bare
Hopin’ my dreams will reappear
When everything I know
is hangin’ on a prayer
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
That emotional layering gives the track its uncompromising weight. Built on propulsive drumbeats and a sweeping, synth- and guitar-driven foundation, “Giving Up Air” swells and surges with restless urgency, pairing atmospheric textures with eruptive, full-bodied release. It’s classic Temper Trap in its scale – cinematic, larger-than-life, instantly immersive – yet there’s an emboldened sharpness, an intention that pushes their sound forward rather than simply revisiting it.
The story behind the song only deepens that feeling. Some listeners may recognize “Giving Up Air” from Mandagi’s solo project BLOODMOON, where it first appeared in an earlier form.
But as he tells it, the track always seemed destined for something more: “I think I was always meant to write that song for The Temper Trap,” he remarks. “It just so happens I was off doing my own thing when it came to me but now it honestly feels like the song is where it’s supposed to be. As soon as we jammed it as a band it made sense… it felt magical, like it had found its true home.”
Disarm, no use resisting
Disarm, break it down
Holding on tight, choking the life out
‘Til nothing was left
And this house is surely sinking
(Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh)
Feels like it’s sinking
(Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh)
And it’s hard to breathe in
That sense of rediscovery mirrors the band’s own journey. After a decade between albums, The Temper Trap return this July with Sungazer, their fourth studio record and first in ten years – a gap that, rather than stalling their momentum, seems to have reshaped it entirely. “That 10-year gap really makes this feel like a clean slate,” Mandagi shares. “To a lot of people, this record will be their first introduction to us, and that’s exciting! It reminds me of [being] back in the day, [when] we had to really work the room and win people over.”
There’s a palpable excitement in that reset. “Compared to our past albums, this one was way more fun to make,” he adds. “The energy and vibes were high in the studio, and I think you can feel it in the songs.” That fiery spirit runs straight through “Giving Up Air,” where the band’s signature emotional intensity meets a renewed air of freedom and exploration.
It’s a feeling that extends far beyond a single song. Sungazer promises a journey that stretches from intimate reflection to full-throttle catharsis, distilling years of personal growth, distance, and reconnection into a body of work that feels both immediate and lived-in. In many ways, it reads as a second beginning: Not a reinvention, but a reintroduction to who they are now.
For Mandagi, that evolution has been years in the making. His BLOODMOON project opened up new creative pathways – “an open frontier… a blank canvas to explore creative ideas that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to in The Temper Trap,” he previously told Atwood Magazine – and those lessons now bleed into the band’s current music, expanding its scope without losing its core.
That’s what makes “Giving Up Air” land so powerfully. It holds both past and present at once – a song that carries the DNA of everything The Temper Trap have been, while pushing toward everything they’re becoming.
It’s immersive, emotional, and unafraid to sit inside the hardest moments, trusting that something brighter might still emerge on the other side.
And if this is what The Temper Trap sound like now, ten years on, then Sungazer isn’t just a return – it’s a reminder of why they mattered in the first place, and why they still do.
The Temper Trap’s Dougy Mandagi recently sat down with Atwood Magazine to unpack the stories, evolution, and renewed energy behind “Giving Up Air” and their upcoming album Sungazer. Read our interview below, and spend some time with the band’s latest releases wherever you listen – sometimes the only way forward is to lay it bare.
Givin’ up air, layin’ it bare
Hopin’ my dreams will rеappear
When evеrything I know
is hangin’ on a prayer
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Givin’ up air, layin’ it bare
Hopin’ my dreams will reappear
When everything I know
is hangin’ on a prayer
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
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:: stream/purchase Giving Up Air here ::
:: connect with The Temper Trap here ::
:: stream/purchase Sungazer here ::
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A CONVERSATION WITH THE TEMPER TRAP
The Temper Trap, it is so great to catch up with you guys! I’ve admittedly been a fan since the Conditions days, but for those who are just catching up with the band today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you right now?
The Temper Trap (Dougy Mandagi): We’re a Melbourne indie band, we’re all pretty easy-going lads that love making and playing music and we’ve got plenty more tunes coming your way.
Who are some of your musical north stars, and what are you most excited about the music you're making today?
The Temper Trap: David Bowie, Prince, Radiohead to name a few. We’re really excited to play new material and to see the look on people’s faces at shows when that connection finally happens. Songs get old but that connection never does.
You’ve just announced your fourth studio album Sungazer, which arrives just ten years after your third LP, Thick as Thieves. How do you feel this record reintroduces you and captures your artistry, especially compared to your first three LPs?
The Temper Trap: That 10-year gap really makes this feel like a clean slate and to a lot of people, this record will be their 1st introduction to us and that’s exciting! Reminds me of back in the day and we had to really work the room and win people over.
Compared to our past albums, this one was way more fun to make. The energy and vibes were high in the studio, and I think you can feel it in the songs.
One thing that immediately struck me, just from listening to “Lucky Dimes,” “Giving Up Air,” and “Into the Wild,” is how this doesn’t feel like a “return” after ten years; it honestly feels like a second debut. How do you all see this “era” in your career, and what excites you about this new music?
The Temper Trap: We’re quite different people today from 10 years ago, so in a way it does feel like we’re debuting this new version of us. We hope this new era brings new fans and new opportunities to tour some places we never got to previously.
Dougy, you also founded your solo project BLOODMOON in the interim years, which we spoke at length about a few years ago. How did that project inform these new The Temper Trap songs?
The Temper Trap: I think I became a much better and efficient songwriter during my BLOODMOON era. I also collaborated with different producers which taught me a lot about the production side which I now really enjoy getting involved in for The Temper Trap.
Speaking of BLOODMOON, I immediately recognized “Giving Up Air” as a stunning revamp of “Disarm.” What was that experience like, transforming that song together, and how did you go about make it into a Temper Trap track?
The Temper Trap: I think I was always meant to write that song for The Temper Trap. It just so happens I was off doing my own thing when it came to me but now it honestly feels like the song is where it’s supposed to be. As soon as we jammed it as a band it made sense and when we road tested it live, people would come up to us and ask if we were going to put it out.
You’ve previously talked about “Giving Up Air” being a personally important song about tragedy, loss, and hope. If you’re at all comfortable sharing, what does this song mean for you?
The Temper Trap: I did lose someone close to me, but this song isn’t about loss through my eyes but through the eyes of a mother losing her child. I wasn’t a parent when I wrote the song but now that I am, I understand it on a much deeper level.
Meanwhile, The Temper Trap’s big return happened last year with “Lucky Dimes,” a homecoming and comeback all in one. Why return with that song in particular?
The Temper Trap: We felt that song really encapsulates the spirit of the band today. It’s brash, full of new energy and excitement.
What can fans expect from the rest of Sungazer – any teases you can give me?
The Temper Trap: People can expect quite a journey. The songs all stand on their own, yet the album feels cohesive.
What do you hope listeners take away from these new songs, and what have you taken away from creating Sungazer and now putting it out?
The Temper Trap: We hope people connect with the songs and we encourage people to make great memories to them. Music is such a great time stamp in life and is always so cool when we get to be the soundtrack to some of those times.
For me, the big take away is the relationship we have with each other which has really stood the test of time and the passion we still have to make music together. We’ve been together for so long and a 10-year gap between records is a very long time, so the fact that we’re back with a new one is quite a testament in itself.
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:: stream/purchase Giving Up Air here ::
:: connect with The Temper Trap here ::
:: stream/purchase Sungazer here ::
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Stream: “Giving Up Air” – The Temper Trap
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© Alberto Zimmermann
© Alberto Zimmermann
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