It seems like we’ve been hyping his jams for forever now, but it’s important to remember that Alfie Templeman only turned 21 years old just last month. The London musician has always been ahead of the game, and today (February 12) returns with another smooth banger via Chess Club Records / AWAL Recordings, this time a funk-led dance floor seducer called “Eyes Wide Shut.”
Easy comparisons to Prince’s ’80s catalog, Beck’s dance fever, and “Fame”-era Bowie jump out of the speakers, but Templeman is quick to make “Eyes Wide Shut” entirely his. Its infectious euphoria should make a gray Monday in February feel like a sweaty Friday in July. And that’s pretty much what we need right about meow.
“’Eyes Wide Shut’ is an amalgamation of ruminations I faced on tour,” says Templeman. “My brain always seems to be on full volume after a show and I find it really difficult to wind down. The adrenaline used to turn sour pretty quick once you’d get back to your hotel that looked the same as every other hotel. ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ helped me express those feelings and since we started playing it live I often use it as a reminder to go easy on myself. It deters the burn out.”
Templeman adds: “Musically, Eyes was the first song I wrote for my upcoming album. I knew I wanted to make big, weird pop songs. At the time I was rinsing Prince and Talking Heads a lot, lots of crazy staccato synth textures and nutty bass lines.”
Skip the week ahead and land precisely on the weekend.