The Temper Trap is one of those bands that refreshes you. Their sounds, words, production – everything just fits together neatly and fills your ears and fills you up. They have the ability to make you feel weightless and still grounded at the same time. Their writing isn’t profound, but it’s relevant and poetic but the words don’t take themselves too seriously. I’d like to see you try and describe the longing and desire for someone who’s juuust a little bit beyond your reach without sounding like a complete cliche. We were all poet’s once, right? 6th, 7th, 8th grade? You know those years spent listening to “hXc” music and idolizing Amy Lee and Gerard Way? Was that just me? …Bueller? Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that what The Temper Trap has done with this track (and every other track of theirs) is something not many of us can pull off as elegantly as they have: that is capture the moment of realizing your attachment to a significant other is actually significant.
Dougy Mandagi has pipes like no other man. He’s hitting notes on the verses on this track in his chest voice with control. As a trained vocal performer, I know that what he’s doing is not easy. His range is insane and his control is as strong as Beth Ditto’s. Imagine if Beth and Dougy did something together; what a power-house of a song that would be. I say this all within the umbrella of the idea I started with at the beginning of this post: refreshing. While the original has this anthemic percussion element, RAC comes in and puts the focus on Mandagi’s performance. The production isn’t heavy: light chimes and low synths raise the vocals up on a pedestal and lets them soar. It’s a convincing tale because of how vulnerable Mandagi makes himself. That moment where you know you’ve fallen for someone comes with feelings of helplessness and an odd impatience. “Need Your Love” nails this in a manner no one but The Temper Trap could pull off.
And I am a war of flesh and heart that’s left undone
Between the person that I was and have become
Oh I need your love, I need your love,
I need you now, I need you…There’s no resting in my heart
There’s no resting now.”