One of my favorite things about music is when I get the chance to witness an artist’s evolution and growth in real time. And considering that Alfie Templeman has been releasing music since he was 15 years old (and I’ve been lucky enough to have been here since then), I think he is the perfect example of this.
After his debut album Mellow Moon came out in 2022, the Bedfordshire-native had gone mostly quiet for a while–except for a collaboration and a cover released last year–which gave him enough time to create the perfect ambiance for his naturally exciting, wide-ranging, and dopamine-charged sophomore record, Radiosoul.
Radiosoul seems to be perfectly titled; the eleven tracks, although clearly different between each other, create a cohesive and invigorating project as a whole. Some songs like the lead single “Eyes Wide Shut” (which you can read our review of here) and “Just A Dance” featuring Nile Rodgers, are radio-friendly enough to work as promotional tracks, hopefully catching new and stray listeners along the way. While “Drag,” “Vultures,” and “Submarine” all jump around the genre spectrum, leaving me, at least, dumbfounded in the best way possible.
The title track and opening song for the project appears to set the tone, sounding maybe more mature and certainly different than Alfie’s previous releases, but it still manages to sound “Alfie” enough. This is probably due to a new producer joining the Brit’s camp, Charlie J. Perry, who is mostly known for his work with Jorja Smith. His appearance explains the jazzy strokes and soul inspiration. “Radiosoul” is followed by two absolute bangers: “Eyes Wide Shut” the album’s original single, and “This Is Just The Beginning, which I believe is another standout track and also brings another new name into Alfie’s discography: Oscar Scheller, who works mainly with rapper-singer Ashnikko and pop royalty like Rina Sawayama and Charli XCX.
Later on, “Vultures” comes along, the only self-produced song in Radiosoul, and a track that I was looking forward to since Alfie’s career began with him DIYing everything, and some of my favorite songs of his are the ones fully under his name. And, although thrown in the middle of it all, it is indeed one of the best tracks in the album, because you can tell Alfie just wanted to try new things and experiment with all the sounds he could find, which is what he does best. It’s by far the song that is the most sonically weird, dissonant and less radio-friendly, and, in my opinion, the most Alfie.
Immediately after a song that already feels like a trip, another one that kind of goes off the tracks (in a good way) comes along. This time collaborating with Kid Karma, known for his electropop production for artists like Shygirl, “Drag” is chaotic and overstimulating, going out a little bit out of Alfie’s usual range, but still making sense for his otherworldly sound. “Hello Lonely,” on the other hand, feels exactly like what I would expect from an Alfie Templeman song, almost like it was a leftover from his debut Mellow Moon. Alongside “Just A Dance,” they fall into the same lane as some of his biggest songs like “3D Feelings” and “Happiness In Liquid Form,” so I’m half expecting it to be a fan favorite.
The second half of this album unexpectedly leans closer into soft indie pop territory, especially in tracks like “Submarine” and “Run To Tomorrow”. The first one was produced and co-written by Josh Scarbrow, a usual collaborator of the likes of Matt Maltese and Arlo Parks which explains a lot (we love sad British people!) and it completely differs from the rest of Radiosoul, allowing it to drift into a mellower ambience, with more acoustic guitars and less synths. Although catching me off guard a little, it is also becoming one of my favorite Alfie songs at the moment.
“Beckham,” another single previously released that to me seems a little lost in the midst of it all, kind of works as a transition song between this softer sound and the chaos and harshness of another Karma Kid-produced song; “Switch” is loud and abrasive at times, feeling incredibly full and heavy, but it simultaneously brings in a quiet, lo-fi recording of Alfie’s voice for a few seconds during the verses, just to then hit you back again with full force in the chorus. It’s a perfect contrast that truly belongs at the end of the record to remind you of the genre-bending album and artist that you are currently listening to.
Lastly, “Run To Tomorrow” jumps back to a more minimalistic (*minimalistic for Alfie Templeman*) production and melody. It’s a great closing track that takes the opportunity to highlight Alfie as a songwriter and vocalist. All in all, Radiosoul makes sure to show all of Alfie’s facets and skills, jumping around styles, genres, and telling the stories of a 21-year-old who is just still becoming an adult in the world.
Although I did immediately love this album (and I have a reputation of immediately loving stuff just because I love the person that made it) I also do believe that it’s the type of record that will grow on people (and on me) with time. It has the aforementioned amazing, funky bops that will catch your attention from the beginning, but it also has some songs that I think will be late bloomers, but incredible tracks nonetheless, and hopefully we’ll even be able to live through these songs live in the near future too.
Radiosoul is out now.
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