Alfie Templeman announces debut album ‘Mellow Moon’: “It’s a place to get away from anxieties”

nme.com:

Alfie Templeman has announced details of his debut album ‘Mellow Moon’ and shared lead single ‘Broken’. Check it out below, alongside an interview with Templeman.Following on from 2021’s mini-album ‘Forever Isn’t Long Enough’ which blended rowdy festival anthems with funk and disco, debut album proper ‘Mellow Moon’ is a mix of “R&B, pop, folk and rock”, according to the 19-year-old, along with “crazy guitar solos but also little bits of jazz”“Everything I’ve been working towards for the past few years has led to this record but I think it’s great,” he told NME. “It’s basically everything that I’ve ever done, taken to a higher level.”Speaking of his new single ‘Broken’, Templeman described it as “a good representation of what’s gone on in the past couple of years and how people my age are feeling”.“It explores the smaller thoughts and fears that nobody really brings up because there are bigger things going on in the world right now but really, your mental wellbeing is just as valid as anything else,” said Templeman. “You’re alive, you deserve to know that everything’s OK.”He continued: “I’ve spoken about mental health to friends and on social media, but I’ve never been this open about it in my music.

Because of that, I didn’t want to go too emo straight away. I didn’t want to go full Elliot Smith. It’s an upbeat pop song but the lyrics are very sad.”Templeman revealed that the Coldplay-inspired riff was first written back when he was 14, with the rest of the track taking influence from Chic disco legend Nile Rodgers.“I’ve spoken countless times about how much of a hero of mine he is,” said Templeman. “I’ve always liked bittersweet songs though.