London-based indie outfit The Temper Trap are ensaring an international fan base with their fresh, accessible sound -- a layering of catchy melodies with sensitive vocals and stratospheric guitar. With the pop sensibility and universal appeal of U2 and Coldplay (two big names with whom the Australian foursome have frequently been aligned), The Temper Trap’s star is on the rise. Not only were they named one of the BBC’s Top 15 Sounds of 2009 and but they have been teetering on brink of fame on this side of the Atlantic as well ever since their punchy single “Sweet Disposition” was featured in the teaser trailer and soundtrack of indie romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer. The jet-setting quartet is swiftly venturing from down under to front and center in the musical world, with the US release of their new album Conditions. Over lunch at Café Mogador, Dougy Mandagi (vocals), Johnny Aherne (bass), Lorenzo Sillito (guitar), and Toby Dundas (drums) charmed us with their Aussie accents and talk of travels abroad.

It’s both a blessing and a curse for bands to have their songs placed in a film or TV show -- a lot of artists gain exposure but also lose credibility. Lorenzo Sillito: I think it’s a little different from having a song on like Grey’s Anatomy, which is kind of a mass TV show. This is an independent film, and it has a fairly good soundtrack as well, so it felt like something that would be complement us as a small indie band. I think we’re fairly cautious about what we want our music to be linked with.

Your new album Conditions explores a lot of different emotions and experiences, from heartbreak to hope and fear. What’s the through line of the album that unites all the different ups and downs of life presented in the songs? Dougy Mandagi: The topic that seems to be the thread that connects all the songs is just humanity. That’s what I like to sing about -- usually the fragile and the darker side of humanity, it definitely seeps through in the lyrics.

You’ve been compared numerous times to U2 and Coldplay. Do you aspire to the sort of fame that those bands have acquired? DM: Not so much the fame, but the exposure. And I guess fame comes with that, but we definitely want to have that kind of exposure. We want to have our music be accessible. We don’t want to play to just a small, indie market -- we want to make music for everyone.

What’s the craziest experience you’ve had while touring? DM: We were playing in Austin, and in the middle of a song this dude just walks up and plops down on the stage and drops a whole bag of raw sausages. This dude had the craziest mullet. Jonny proceeded to make friends with him on the plane and he told him about how there’s this small community of Germans in Austin who try to keep the traditions of the old country and they make sausages.

Do you have any favorite band feuds? LS: I think the most comical one of recent times was when Wayne Coyne spat at the lead singer of Arcade Fire for no apparent reason. It was pretty unfounded.