Album Review: Alfie Templeman - 'Mellow Moon'
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, up-and-coming British artist Alfie Templeman taps into youthful sincerity and liberties - his debut album Mellow Moon brings with it the escapism and playfulness that the world currently craves.
Templeman calls his debut album both an ‘intimate diary entry’ as well as a ‘communal call to arms’. Indeed, the record presents a youthful escape into the otherworlds we so wish we could go to - and Templeman gives us that access. Perhaps the most hard-hitting part of this debut is the outright honesty for which he approached this record and its creative process coming to life. He’s given us Mellow Moon, the record he describes as flowing ‘with an ease that belies its difficult creation.’
Much like the rest of the world, the trajectory of Templeman’s music was influenced by the pandemic - it’s no secret this had its effects on the music industry. Surely, it is hard for these changes not to have prompted a new path of self-reflection and re-discovery. Mellow Moon certainly tells us that things might not always be OK, but his music can always be salvation.
Drawing on experiences of mental health, the turbulence of the world’s current pandemic-stricken climate and reminiscence, Mellow Moon creates a different world - providing elements of escapism and contemplation from start to finish. Playful riffs and wah guitars build catchy melodies that stick in your head long after you’ve heard them.
Citing Steve Lacy, Khruangbin and Leon Bridges as his modern influences, Mellow Moon is the result of an eclectic collection of sonic expressions and emotions. From the funky bass line of the album’s opener, ‘A Western’, to the fun cosmic energies of ‘Broken’ and disco-like boogie track ‘Candyfloss’ - but most of all, Templeman does not shy away from being vulnerable in titular track ‘Mellow Moon.’
Templeman describes making music in his bedroom as his long-time safe space - where he could let his mind run away from him. With the pandemic, however, this space became a border between him and his creativity - a prison in some sense or other. The record is thus a recalibration of what space and confine means to him and his creativity.
On the album, Templeman says “I think people assume that I’m this easy, outgoing person but there’s actually a lot more layers to me and this record shows that.” He continues, “Writing songs like Broken, Take Some Time Away and Mellow Moon were like therapy. It was me asking, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ and ‘How am I going to get better?’ Just figuring things out in real time. I had therapy but there were still things unresolved in my mind. So I turned to music for the answers.”
Templeman now speaks of his new-found commitment to being open about his experiences with mental health - he describes this as a step forward in being truly honest in his music. Moving forward in his career, this vulnerability is certainly something that audiences will find difficult not to resonate with. On boundaries, limitations, and being - Templeman’s story attests to how low moments are apparent, but from that comes artistry that is more creative, experimental and moving than ever.
Words by Rachel Min Leong
