Alfie Templeman returns with '80s-inspired indie-pop bop "Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody"

Chess Club-signed singer-songwriter Alfie Templeman has returned with his first single of the year, “Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody”, and announced his forthcoming mini-album, Forever Isn’t Long Enough. The new track represents a slight change in direction for the prodigious 18-year-old. Gone are the shuffling, Jungle-produced backbeats of 2020’s “Shady” and the intricate hi-hats of mini-album title track “Forever Isn’t Long Enough”. Instead, “Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody” opts for a combination of harsh snares, hazy pads, and a sonic palette that leans more towards Talk Talk than Templeman’s usual contemporary indie sound.

It’s a foot-tapping and sax-laden gem of an indie-pop song and one that’s been rattling around the mind of its creator for the last four years. “I first wrote and recorded ‘Everybody’s Gonna Love Somebody’ back in 2017 when I was 14 years old and it’s been ingrained in my memory ever since”, explains Templeman. “I’d always go back to it and try to re-record it, but I could never quite get it right - then I went on a Tears For Fears binge and realised that it needed that ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ kind of production. I got back in the studio, changed a few lyrics and cut it in a couple of hours. It’s probably my favourite song on the new record.”

On the mini-album as a whole, he says, “Forever Isn’t Long Enough is the most polished collection of songs I’ve ever made. I wanted to make a refined pop record somewhere between Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours and Tame Impala’s Currents. Making Forever Isn’t Long Enough made me realise that I needed to slow down a little and work on things more carefully. Songs could take anywhere from a day to 4 months to 2 years on this record, but I made sure each one was perfect and I’ve never been more proud of how they all came out.”