Alfie Templeman returns with new single ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

Debuted as BBC Radio 1’s “Hottest Record” last night, “Eyes Wide Shut” channels the “Big Weird Pop” energy of Peter Gabriel’s most famous output and Beck’s “Midnite Vultures”, with a playful guitar snaking across the verses and enough discordance to suggest a nagging sense of tension lurking beneath the surface, before one of the best choruses of his career bursts through.

The lyricism is derived from cut up snippets of Templeman’s journal of thoughts he would write when he was awake for the first ten minutes of the morning, detailing moments of anxiety. It’s one of the first times he has placed his most heartfelt lyrics so nakedly front and centre, a step forward in his journey as a songwriter.

Speaking on “Eyes Wide Shut”, Templeman says, “Eyes Wide Shut is an amalgamation of ruminations I faced on tour. 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.”

“Musically, Eyes was the first song I wrote for the 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.”

The song is the next major levelling-up in the evolution of Alfie Templeman: a moment that retains a riotous sense of fun, whilst balancing that with truly accomplished songwriting and a newfound sense of psychedelic exploration. Stay tuned for more news.

About Alfie Templeman:

Retaining the effortless, euphoric, sundrenched feel of his first record Mellow Moon – which won praise for its breezy creativity from The Guardian, NME, The Line of Best Fit and more – musical polymath Alfie Templeman is set to have a huge 2024, the release of “Eyes Wide Shut” being just the beginning.

Just turned 21 years old, almost entirely self-taught as a producer and musician (playing eleven instruments) and with over 300,000,000 streams worldwide and touring sold-out dates across UK, Europe, Japan, Australia & USA during 2022, Alfie Templeman's global appeal is growing every day.

Closer to home, his rise has been fuelled by the longstanding support of national networks BBC Radio 1 (where he has been daytime playlisted five times and has been awarded six consecutive Hottest Records already in his burgeoning career, as well as reaching the A List with ‘3D Feelings’ and single ‘Colour Me Blue’, which was also a top 5 UK radio charting track), BBC Radio 2 (where ‘Colour Me Blue’ was also A listed), BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, Virgin, Absolute, and Apple Music 1.

Fast becoming a household name, Alfie’s inventive partnerships (hosting one of the first festivals in Minecraft) and appearances on major UK TV slots via Sunday Brunch and Top of the Pops have aided in countless sold out headline shows (including London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire), and performances at major UK festivals like Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and more.

Alfie has also collaborated with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Todd Rundgren on his recent album “Space Force”, Dom Valentino, Anna of the North and Boy Pablo’s producer Bob Junior on their recent outputs and co-wrote and produced the worldwide breakout track “Dizzy” by Chloe Moriondo. Fresh, bold, youthful and inventive. Alfie Templeman sees a sometimes grey world in vibrant technicolour.