Get the full story on our Alfie’s new banger-packed mini-album, from the man himself.
Dork loves Alfie Templeman. The 18-year old indie pop sensation has even graced our cover, after all – plus, due to Covid safety requirements, carried over from our 2020 Hype List to the ‘well actually some of this lot deserve a bit longer to make it’ 2021 edition. Given he’s just dropped a brand new, Really Very Brilliant new mini-album, ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’, we figured we’d ask the boy wonder himself to talk us through it. So he did. And here it is. Enjoy!
Shady
I made this song with Tom McFarland at the start of 2020. One thing I’ve told myself ever since I started making music is “stay true to yourself”, and this song is a reflection of that. I think it’s important to recognise that you are your own person so you should make your own decisions.
Forever Isn’t Long Enough
This is the first time I’d ever made a song outside of the UK. I flew out to California and made this track with Kid Harpoon. It all came out so naturally because the trip to the USA made me realise that my music career had already been such a wild and wonderful journey. At 17, I’d just left school, and now I was living my dreams. This song was me recognising how lucky I was.
Hideaway
Literally, the day before the first lockdown happened, my bass player Cam came over to hang out. We listened to a bunch of Anderson .Paak and decided we should make something in his style, so we ended up making this song in my bedroom. He’d literally hold a microphone over my head while I’d lay down drums and percussion! It was a really fun time, and we ended up making this progressive pop/jazzy funk song.
Wait, I Lied
This is the oldest track on the record. It dates back to the sessions I did for my previous release, ‘Happiness In Liquid Form’, but I never quite nailed it until now. I wrote it when I was in the hospital back in late-2019. The riff just popped into my head and would not leave! So as soon as I got out, I went back into my bedroom and laid down probably the poppiest song I’ve ever made.
Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody
I wrote ‘Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody’ when I was 14. It started out as a disco song and eventually evolved into a Tears For Fears 80s vibe when I decided to re-record it in 2020. I always wanted to make a song with a shuffle beat, and it clicked perfectly with this track. It’s a very universal song- a little sprinkle of hope. A lot of us feel down at the moment with all the pain, suffering and confusion in the world, but I want to reassure people there is help coming.
Film Scene Daydream
‘Film Scene Daydream’ was the final song I recorded for the album. I made it one afternoon in the summer after listening to a bunch of great 80s songs. For some reason, I often get nostalgic listening to songs and watching things that came out before I was even alive. This song is me imitating that feeling and making something that just makes you feel good.
To You
Oh man, I sure love synthesisers. Retro sounds are unbeatable, which is why I bought a moog last summer. ‘To You’ started off as a demo for me to mess around with my moog and other synths. Tame Impala’s new album ‘The Slow Rush’ lo was undoubtedly a massive influence here, as was Todd Rundgren’s ‘Initiation’, which features immaculate synth work.
One More Day
I listen to lo-fi beats more than any other genre. They help me sleep, work, exercise, and I just enjoy them as they sound so magical. So I decided I’d make something lo-fi, and a little darker sounding to finish off the record. I always imagine this song playing while I’m sat on a massive hill that overlooks the city while it’s pitch black at night. April helped bring this song to life; her verse is immaculate, and her harmonies on the choruses were the cherry on top.
Taken from the May 2021 edition of Dork, out now. Alfie Templeman’s mini-album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ is out 7th May.
