There are only a handful of artists that I would travel across state lines for, and Alfie Templeman is certainly one of them. I’ve been following his career since he was just 16-years-old (!!!!), so when in 2022 he announced a joint North American tour with another one of my faves, Thomas Headon, I booked a plane to LA solely to catch one of their shows. This trip actually made me lucky enough to hear his new single “Eyes Wide Shut” live over a year before its official release, and I’m happy to know that it’s the first one from a new album.
Alfie’s musicianship and production style has always been incredibly impressive: not only because he’s been super talented since he was a literal child, but because I think his music sounds like no one else’s. It’s evident that he gathers inspiration from previous decades and styles, but pinpointing who he might be evoking the most on each song becomes almost impossible. “Eyes Wide Shut” is one more example of Alfie’s range, willingness to try new things, and growing confidence that he has come to build in the past few years.
The track is a groovy mix of guitars and funky bass lines, with the 21-year-old’s rich vocals and bubbly falsettos still being at the forefront. He turns lyrics about the pains of growing into a funky, invigorating pop anthem, and the catchy chorus is just the cherry on top of a pretty much perfect song. It’s almost funny to think about he’s basically crying for help with lines like “I hate the way that the world’s turning, I learnt to swim but I’m still drowning, ” “I’ve been numbing my pain, but I can’t kill shame,” and “I feel alone and I can’t help it, so dark in here that I punch shadows,” while accompanying it with one of the most fun and strong instrumentals he’s put out so far.
Even watching the song’s music video felt like a reminder that Alfie Templeman is indeed growing up. As he grows and evolves as an artist, he’s also growing into full human form, encountering new experiences and challenges, and also becoming more comfortable with who he is and how he performs. About the song he assures that he uses it “as a reminder to go easy on [himself]” while he’s on tour, when things get intensely monotonous, and his mind can end up spiraling just like the song talks about.
This is Alfie’s first solo release since his 2022 sophomore album Mellow Moon, (with the exception of some releases on his side project under the alias Ariel Days), and it already feels like the beginning of a completely new chapter. I’m excited to see Alfie’s confidence only continue to grow as his artistry and music improves too, and “Eyes Wide Shut” feels like an amazing start for that.
“Eyes Wide Shut” is out now.
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