Alfie Templeman delivered a complex and danceable critique of technocracy on June 6, exploring how our perception is increasingly skewed by it. He highlights how big tech companies steal our attention, leaving us indifferent to listening attentively to music.

"Radio Soul," the album's lead track, often repeats the phrase, “And the radio stays on while nobody listens.” This theme resonates across various media, reminiscent of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s recent comic, "Just Listen to the Song," where a teenager’s heartfelt musical confession goes viral for all the wrong reasons—cringe-worthy moments, gossip, and even a ghostly apparition in the video. People focus on everything except the song itself.

In numerous interviews, Alfie has expressed similar concerns. He doesn’t want to be seen as a pretentious alternative musician addressing superficial questions about music. His work is highly intuitive, paradoxical, yet cohesive, imbued with a distinct UK flavor without resorting to pop clichés. Recognizing the challenges of his musical approach, he enlisted the help of producers such as Charlie J Perry, Will Bloomfield, Oscar Scheller, and Karma Kid, among others.

All the songs and production processes are about unconformity. He describes the album making process as “erratic”, many times he discovered himself imitating and chaotically mixing different artists such as Dua Lipa, MGMT, Prince, Talking Heads and Nile Rogers. 

Having overcome these challenges and completed the album, Alfie Templeman reflects on his work, aiming to advise people and invite them to “just enjoy the smaller things a bit more.”

Let's hope Alfie’s vision resonates with the public. I encourage you to listen, close your eyes, enjoy the present, and just listen!

Author: Martín Cacho

Martín is a video game composer, producer and writer from Sonora, México.