Alfie Templeman's "My Best Friend" Is a Hypnotic Ode to Depression

Photo: Ben Bentley

Singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Alfie Templeman began releasing music in 2016 when he was just 13-years-old. Now 17, the Bedfordshire native is establishing himself as one of the UK's youngest rising indie stars. Having already released three EPs, and with a fourth one on the way, Templeman shows no signs of slowing down.

"My Best Friend" is the second single off of Templeman's forthcoming EP, Happiness In Liquid Form.

On "My Best Friend," Templeman enlists the help of labelmate Coach Party's Jess Eastwood to create a sound that appears both engaging yet intriguingly withdrawn. The groovy bassline joins the keys in a playful call and response as Templeman paints a picture of an omnipresent best friend.

With an air of mischievousness, the single channels the uncanny magnetism that characterizes much of Billie Eilish's music. This is best illustrated in the chorus, in which Templeman croons, "My best friend is a killer in disguise / She'll show you things you've never seen." His voice, typically expressive and lively, takes on an air of detachment which makes us wonder: exactly how great is this friend?

According to Templeman, the song is actually about depression. The single opens with the telling lyrics, "I like being sad / It's the bestest friend I've ever had," though if you blink you might miss it. At times, sadness is the only variable that feels constant, always lurking in the shadows like an overbearing best friend. With a clever dexterity far beyond his years, Templeman personifies depression in exactly the way one might picture it in its human form.

Happiness In Liquid Form is out July 15 on Chess Club Records.

Listen to "My Best Friend" below: