Label: Chess Club/AWAL
Released: 27th May 2022
Long-standing members of this parish will be familiar with Dork’s habit of referring to young Alfie Templeman as a prince in line to indie’s glittering throne.
It’s not just a lazy nickname pulled out of a hat to add a bit of sparkle to just another coulda-woulda-shoulda potential talent. We take things much more seriously than that. Instead, it’s a signal that, since his earliest manoeuvres, Alfie has had that certain something; an assured talent beyond his years that was surely building to something great.
Well, Dear Reader, we’re finally here. Though he’s already dropped several EPs stuffed to the rafters with brilliant bops, debut album ‘Mellow Moon’ showcases a subtly different Alfie Templeman. It might be a bit of a reach to attach notions of maturity to a 19-year-old, but Alfie’s always been ahead of the curve. Emotions bubble beneath the surface, elevating what might sound like breezy songs to higher plains, but even those inward moments aren’t allowed to become too morose or over-thought. Every moment of self-discovery and acceptance comes with a sense of empowerment. ‘3D Feelings’ stomps with equal parts indie disco and flamboyant funk, while ‘Galaxy’ blips, bloops, plinks and plonks with a genuine strop.
‘Candyfloss’, meanwhile, is Dua Lipa, if Dua Lipa was actually Alfie Templeman.
Those rawer thoughts do offer up some musical brilliance, though. ‘Take Some Time Away’ swells with a Bond-like grandness, while closer ‘Just Below The Above’ – delivered on an acoustic guitar – is a true showstopper, at times recalling classic Radiohead at their most impactful before drifting away on its own psychedelic melody. Nobody ever said Alfie was a one-trick pony. Someone find that crown.
