It’s a daunting task to follow-up a break out album as successful as 2009’s Conditions, but Aussie rockers The Temper Trap rise to the occasion with their self-titled sophomore effort.

Thanks most in part to films like 500 Days of Summer and an intensely overplayed Coca-Cola commercial, The Temper Trap quickly became the go-to band for a “hip, indie anthem” with their breakout hit “Sweet Disposition.”

However, if you took the time to give the rest of their debut album a listen, you’d realize these gents are much better than being a featured group on Grey’s Anatomy – and they prove that again with their second album.

The album opens with “I Need Your Love,” picking up on the somber notes that concluded Conditions. “I am a war of flesh and heart that’s left undone, between the person that I was and have become,” lead vocalist Dougy Mandagi sings as he flexes his golden pipes. (Yes, I said golden pipes. Have you heard the man sing? Those pipes are pretty damn golden if you ask me.) The song is complimented with a playful arcade synth melody setting the pace with a syncopated drumline – almost makes you forget how actually heartbreaking the song is.

Despite their Aussie roots (in 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London), there is a very palpable Morrissey influence in the aptly titled “London Calling.” The band plays with a Smiths-worthy vigor that may drive you to riot (or have a dance-off) in the streets a la “V for Vendetta. (Guy Fawkes mask not included with album, but remember – a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having.) And whether band members will be inspired to follow Morrissey’s influence and strip of their shirts when they play Lollapalooza in Chicago this summer is yet to be determined (yet fully encouraged by this reviewer).

One of the album’s quiet triumphs is “The Sea is Calling.” Mandagi’s vocals are beautifully layered with vibrant harmonies – you just want to crawl into the happy place that are his vocal chords and hibernate there forever … or maybe that’s just me.

The resounding success on the album is the achingly tender “Rabbit Hole.” The song opens with Mandagi’s haunting falsetto and builds to a throbbing crescendo. “It will be a cold day in hell before we’re done – just feeding the flame, arresting the fight with fire.” Similar to Conditions’ “Solder On,” this song showcases what makes The Temper Trap truly glorious – the ability to combine raw songwriting and skilled musicality. If you don’t have chills after listening to this track, I’m not sure you have a pulse (or a heart, you monster).

“I’m Gonna Wait” is the anthem for any crazy post-break-up girl who drinks a box of wine in the middle of the night and needs sounds of drunken solace … but again, maybe that’s just me. “And some say I’m a fool for waiting for you,” you can slur along. It’s a tranquil melody that goes down a lot smoother than that off-brand box of White Zinfandel with the echoed chorus, “I’m gonna wait, I’m gonna wait, for you” (and it comes sans-nasty hangover as well!).

Did The Temper Trap leave me as breathless as their debut effort? No. But pretty damn close. Listen for yourself when The Temper Trap drops June 5.