Chartbreaker: Temper City Scored a Hot 100 Hit With Its First Release, Relying on ‘Raw Energy’ Over AI
Categoria: Musica
The alt-rock group’s “Self Aware” has also reached No. 8 on Hot Rock Songs.
Por Billboard | 10/06/2026
For most of the last decade, it’s been a rarity for new rock bands to cross over to the Billboard Hot 100 . Yet, Temper City did just that — and not only as an unsigned band, but with its first-ever release. “Self Aware,” a fraught-relationship anthem with echoes of 2010s alt-rock hitmakers Cage the Elephant and The Neighbourhood, almost immediately became a viral hit for Temper City following its release in early 2026. It spread like wildfire on TikTok and ultimately cracked the Hot 100 in April (and reaches a new No. 72 high on the June 13-dated chart). The song gained traction so quickly, with Temper City such a new act and so little information about the group widely available, it invariably led to the question: Who the hell are these guys, exactly? Related Save the Eye Roll, Rock Is Really Back — And All Over the Charts Here's What Jack Schlossberg Had to Say About Madonna's Recent Revelations on JFK Jr. as a Lover: 'All I Can Say Is…' BRIT Awards Confirms Location & Date for 2027 Ceremony Temper City is an L.A.-based trio of Israeli writer-producers: Eytan Peled, Chen Kordova and Aviv Barenholtz. All three have extensive industry experience working with international artists across genres, ranging from Canadian-bred EDM mainstays Zeds Dead to English alt-rock radio hitmaker Barns Courtney — and occasionally recording for their own artist projects with Kordova and Barenholtz working together as a producer duo and Peled as a singer-songwriter. “We met over the past five years creating music for other people,” Peled says, explaining that the three of them would spend about six months each year coming to L.A. for studio work. “We did a lot of stuff for video games, pop artists, dance [acts], TV shows … really all the behind-the-scenes, in-the-session grind kind of [stuff].” From left: Temper City’s Peled, Barenholtz and Kordova. Amit Shauli As the trio spent more and more time working together, they realized they might have something more to offer in front of the decks and on the stage in their own right. A full-band lineup unfolded naturally for the writer-producers, with Peled singing, Kordova on guitar and Barenholtz drumming. “Our chemistry and our connection through making music led to us deciding to start a band together,” says Peled. “We all love indie rock … So we said, ‘This time, when we’re coming to L.A., we’re going to focus only on our artist stuff.’ ” As they gathered in late 2025, “Self Aware” came about very early — and largely by happenstance — for the newly formed trio. “The day that we made ‘Self Aware’ is the day that an artist didn’t show up to a session,” recalls Barenholtz. “I think it was the second [song we ever did together.]” By the time Temper City started teasing “Self Aware” to its socials in January, it already had recorded most of its prospective debut album, with grand designs of how to roll all of it out. But the immediate re