Album Review Alfie Templeman - Mellow Moon

‘Mellow Moon’ seems to exist in an alternate universe. On this fizzingly technicolour planet we take a stroll through 19-year-old Alfie Templeman’s mind and find ourselves faced with a wealth of self-discovery, catharsis and sage words of empowerment. Alfie has a knack for taking the anthemic qualities of indie-pop and injecting them with pure, danceable funk. And regardless of where it finds itself, it’s guaranteed to mainline some pure zest and vitality into any situation. The all out ‘80s synth of ‘Candyfloss’ and crazed delivery of ‘Colour Me Blue’ keep energies high, whereas ‘Galaxy’ transfers those romanticisms into a sizzling venture of elastic vocals and impressive guitar solos. It’s not all swirling about in a new world, completely topsy-turvy, however. On ‘Mellow Moon’, Alfie also finds a way to work through his feelings when they reached an unfortunate low. The jazz-influenced ‘Take Some Time Away’ is soft and simultaneously fraught with pent-up stress that finds its release throughout the album. He comes to terms with coming of age in a weirder world than ever and finds joy through addressing the more challenging aspects of life and moving onwards. With his debut album, Alfie Templeman has found a means of discovering himself and a means to cope. It makes for something incredibly promising.