This Week's Discovery: Tempted by Tempesst

Hey, so good to see you here! 

It was a pretty mundane Monday and I'm thinking of doing a little shoutout to some underrated arts/artists out there. Why not, right? This series will be called "This Week's Discovery" but it's obviously subject to change (I can't think of a more clever title now lol). 

First of all, let's define what underrated means. I am very much aware of the massive subjectiveness when it comes to this word. By definition, it is supposed to mean "not rated or valued highly enough". Some people might think Sufjan Stevens is underrated (which I won't deny) and that statement is completely valid. Perhaps they believe Sufjan deserves the fame equivalent to Taylor Swift's, which again, I do not disagree with. However, some people would definitely shit talk on it by saying that Sufjan is actually well-known. So... what does something have to be in order to qualify for the underrated category?

In this series, I will define "underrated" by using its initial definition: Something that deserves more recognition for the way it is. This could mean a really good artist which songs I never encountered in the wild (I'm talking about social media "wild", if you know what I mean) or an exceptional movie that is somehow never found in anyone's Letterboxd Top 4. Anything that I believe deserves way more listener, watcher, attention— you most likely will find them here in this series.

So, get ready and we shall begin this journey. The first ever train scheduled to This Week's Discovery will stop at its very first station: Tempesst.

Tempesst. Photo on Twitter

I've done my fair share of discovering music across multiple genres. I listen to Oasis, Olivia Dean, Billy Joel, Hozier, Lizzy McAlpine, even did a journey across the continent to listen to Dardan and Morad. Throughout my very diverse listening journey, I've come across several artists that I believe are underrated. Some of them are criminally underrated, even. So, is Tempesst criminally underrated? Wrong. Their underratedness is beyond international crime. It's a violation that is so out of this world that the aliens validate it.

Okay, too much. 

But on a serious note, they are way, way underrated.

Tempesst is this England-based, Australian alternative slash indie band with a touch of psychedelic in their songs. I first discovered them while trying out random songs I never listened to before. Spotify, having gathered all my musical data and preference, decided that I should listen to this mix-of-Arctic Monkeys-and-Tame Impala band with less than 300,000 monthly listeners. I can't remember exactly which of theirs I listened to for the first time, but there was this one song that sticks out to me the most. When I listen to it, I feel like I'm a character in a psychological thriller— trapped in a situation where I cannot distinguish what is real and what is not, and unable to trust anyone but myself. You, uh, get what I mean, right?

Must Be A Dream is their most-listened song with almost 8 million plays on Spotify. Suffice to say, I can definitely understand why. This song caught me off-guard when I first listened to it. It is a mix of alternative and psychedelic rock with a dash of mystery, which adds so much personality and character. This song is their most popular so far and was released in their first album with the same title. It illustrates the feeling of looking at someone, or even something, that is almost unreal you're unsure if it's reality or a mere dream. My other favorite from that album is Mushroom Cloud, which also happens to be the second most popular. This song pictures anger and the need for something, but also guilt. Sometimes you get carried away in the moment that you do things you later regret.

Oh, are those it? Nope. Here are some of my other favorites from Tempesst: Stranger to You Now, Prisoner of Desire, and Sad Eyes. I feel like describing them would spoil the necessary element of surprise, so I'll leave you to it. But here's a little hint: They are all absolute banger. Even if you're not that much into psychedelic rock, if you ever find yourself in need of new music— they're definitely worth a listen.

And if you already listen to Tempesst, you should definitely let me know what you think of them.