Review Summary: A Leopard Changing its Spots
Luke Temple is one of those under the radar indie artists whose been ploughing away for years, first recording indie pop and folk under his own name, then more psychedelic material as the band unit From Here We Go Magic, before returning to a more varied approach to his solo output sometimes releasing funky art pop under the moniker Art Feynman. Near enough everything he’s released has had some merit to it, and he’s certainly tried his hand at multiple genres, but you always got the feeling Temple had gotten a little too comfortable keeping the stakes low; there were gems buried on most of his albums but they were sharing space with some half baked experimentation, some throwaways, maybe even some outright filler.
‘Hungry Animal’ feels like a very different statement, a conscious culmination of his career up to date, a cared for thing that screams craftsmanship and experience. This baby flows, it switches genre or vocal style with zero discomfort, and some of the little embellishments scattered throughout these songs display real panache. Whether Temple adopts David Byrne artful funk (the opener), Ariel Pink style faux nostalgia (‘Bed Time for Eddy’), or the type of cryptic folk Cass McCombs has now perfected ('Early Spring'), in every case the results feel intuitive and effortless. The retro vibes and psychedelia are here but they’re not pushed nearly as hard as on an Avey Tare or Tame Impala joint; this man has now jettisoned any need for forced novelty or other overt artistic attention seeking.
Standouts like the sweet summer cut ‘Echo Park Donut’ or the gently unfolding end of the day hymn ‘Emotional Volley’ leave you in no doubt this is career peak fare, packed as they are with the very best of his vocal and guitar melodies, while also showing off all the tricks he’s learnt dabbling in electronic and psychedelic music. This is a relaxed album that holds the attention, a varied album that never strays from the core, a sugary set of tunes that never become overly sweet. At the final analysis the biggest weakness of this album is the release date as this is a summer album through and through, but there’s no way I’m docking points for that. The first unexpected triumph of 2026.
