Released: 10th July 2020
Rating: ★★★★★
In a short space of time, a lot can change. No, we’re not talking about *all this* Dear Reader, we’re talking about good ‘ol music. The first tracks and sounds from an artist can make you jump, but to really stand out – you need that ‘moment’. For Alfie Templeman, that ‘moment’ is now, with ‘Happiness In Liquid Form’ not just a cracking set of new additions from the Dork fave, but a bold and thrilling showcase of just how vast his musical world is becoming.
The swinging indie-pop jangles are there, but now they’re bolstered by a confidence and swagger that bursts from every note. A playful nod and a wink that has you charmed from the very beginning, the EP’s title track still springs and jumps with a magic ease, while ‘Obvious Guy’ spins with disco-pop gyrations that basically plaster the dancefloor across its every second. ‘Things I Thought Were Mine’ is a pan-soaked groover that would sound at home in a late-80s neon palace, the sprinting ‘Wish I Was Younger’ like The Specials if they were born in a TikTok world and ‘Maybe This Is Time’ coated like the track you’d hear sweeping up a teenage rom-com.
‘Happiness In Liquid Form’ combines all of that into a EP that serves as Alfie Templeman’s statement of intent. Gloriously eclectic and infused with unstoppable fun, this is his ‘moment’. This is a new playing field now.
Jamie Muir
