Alfie Templeman, Don't Go Wasting Time, Album Review


Alfie Templeman
Don't Go Wasting Time
Album Review


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This debut full-length album from DIY alternative indie artist Alfie Templeman managed to grab my attention just before the newest Friday comes rolling in. And quite honestly, I wouldn't have paid nearly as much attention to it if it didn't sound as good as it does.

The main reason that this album grabbed my attention was that it seemed to have the potential to fill a small void in 2019, that being the lack of a truly chilled, ambient, and enjoyable album with that kind of DIY aesthetic.

Don't Go Wasting Time has a very clear influence of Mac DeMarco behind it, with tracks like "Who I Am", and especially the title track, feeling very reminiscent of 2017's This Old Dog. When you compare the likes of these songs with the abysmal nature of DeMarcos own 2019 project Here Comes The Cowboy, I feel that this album carries an appropriately DeMarco feel far better.

However, this album is far from just a copy-paste of DeMarco's signature style; there are also parts of this album that feel more similar to the likes of Friendly Fires more than Mac DeMarco. Songs like "Circles" and "Movies" are the most shining examples of this.

That being said, Alfie Templeman manages to successfully blend a lot of different moods and atmospheres in the short space of 21 minutes. I would definitely agree that it is quite an ambitious project. However, I would love to see Templeman's style eventually become clearer and more narrowed down, so that we can truly understand Alfie Templeman and what he is all about.

Although, in the case that this is Templeman's debut LP, the colourful nature of the record is not only excusable, but very enjoyable. There were points on this album that feel incredibly warm and summer-like (particularly the more Friendly Fires influenced material). This sentiment was what ultimately made my mind up about giving it the praise it deserves.

Out of the 7 tracks this album has to offer, there were a few duds in my opinion. The final track "Lean on My Shoulder" feels like a very shallow indie dance tune that lacks a lot of substance. It definitely didn't jump out at me as much as the better tracks on Don't Go Wasting Time. The good songs indeed outweigh the bad however.

I am pleased to write that this debut album has managed to somewhat fill that small crack in the 2019 musical catalogue, and I now have the type of album which quite frankly, should've come from Mac DeMarco all those months ago. If you are a fan of either of the artists I compared this album to, I reckon this'd be one you will enjoy quite a bit.



Thank you for reading,

Booth Boy.

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