Temper City Grapples With Insecurity in Alt-Rock Hit “Self Aware”

Earlier this year, the Israeli alternative rock band Temper City landed a viral hit called “Self Aware”. Echoing the psychedelic pop of Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala, the band’s single plods along in a kind of hazy clomp. Similar to how the song’s narrator is spinning from deep insecurity when confronted with a looming romance.

He’s destined to blow it as he gives in to the swelling resistance of doubt. However, there are moments in the song when it seems he’s tempted to silence the skeptical voices in his head. Let’s find out if he succeeds.

You’re Going To Put Me Out

One way to avoid grief is to avoid joy at all costs. Singer Eytan Peled describes a person unwilling to take risks. So he buries his anxiety in drunkenness, hides under the covers, and will probably vanish like a vampire before the sun comes up.

No smoke with no fire,
No silence if there’s no sound.
One way or another,
You’re going to put me out.
Drinks flowing like water,
Too drunk to turn off the light.
Stay under the covers,
Oh, who knows how we’ll end the night.

He’s afraid to let this person down. And he’s cautious to commit to a relationship because he’s confident he’ll be the one to ruin it.

Just don’t hang your hopes on me,
I wanna feel something.
God, you look so pretty,
When you tell me that you love me.

Afraid of failure, the narrator seems to want to sabotage the relationship to avoid potential heartbreak. They can pretend to be a couple for now, but he’ll likely bail.

I wish that I could lie,
But my mind gets in the way.
I know you think that I’m
Always way too self-aware.
Oh, we could never be together,
But it’s nice to play pretend.
I wish that I could lie,
But I’m way too self-aware.

Mood Swings

The narrator, unstable and capricious, is overcome by fear. But the desire remains equally compelling, and no amount of self-doubt here will keep him away. For now.

Mood swings like the weather,
Body’s under pressure.
Oh, I love the way you’re using your imagination,
Laws of attraction, put ’em into practice.

Still, he’s been clear all along: this is only temporary.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagic