Introducing: Alfie Indra
Hometown: Once Suffolk, now Norwich
Listen to: ‘Cool People’, ‘All My Friends Are Depressed’, ‘Just a Kid’
It all started when Alfie Indra got a ukulele for Christmas aged 12, and started strumming away to Jason Mraz songs. Then, he started writing his own music. “I can’t remember why but I’ve always been a massive attention seeker so that was probably it,” he tells The Indiependent. Relatable.
Fast-forward to 2021 and having firmly graduated from the ukulele, Indra’s music has developed a clear personality. If he had to describe his sound in three words, he’d say: retro, twinkly and depressing. “Weird mix I know but you’ll know what I mean when you hear it,” he says.
His latest release is exactly that: ‘All My Friends Are Depressed’ feels particularly pertinent in lockdown 3.0. The song echoes The 1975’s signature sound, sprinkled with lyrics comparable to those found in Lauv’s Modern Loneliness, lamenting the pressures on his generation and searching for questions with no answers. But that ‘twinkly’ quality is certainly there; he manages to elevate contemplative lyrics into lively tunes, driven by clean and catchy melodies.
Alongside his newest single, Indra’s limited discography so far is an eclectic mix, from the exuberant ‘Just a Kid’ to the more relaxed future indie hit ‘Cool People’. The common thread that runs through it all is his knack for unpretentious but affecting lyrics and melodies that strike you from the first listen.
And we can’t discuss Alfie Indra without discussing his YouTube channel, where we see another side to the musician. From transforming James Charles’ childhood singing video into an 80s synth track to somehow making KSI’s ‘Worst Ever Lyrics’ into an indie banger, it’s a bit of a goldmine. “Had to clean up all your noodles / I expect that from a poodle” truly never sounded so poetic in the latter video. It should genuinely be considered a song in its own right. Alongside hilarious remixes, songs made from Alfie Deyes’ terrible video titles and collabs with his friend, YouTuber JAACKMAATE, Indra also has the unreleased and heart-breaking ‘Darling I’m Gone’ on his channel too, which shows yet another side to his talents.
Looking forward to the rest of 2021, Indra hoped that it would bring lots of live music. But now the pandemic is stretching far past the confines of the horror show that was 2020, his plans are pretty simple. “I think the plan is just to release lots of music, make a load of cool content for my YouTube channel and pray that I can keep paying my rent.”
If I had to make a guess, Indra’s rent should be more than covered in 2021 – it’s surely only a matter of time before he explodes in popularity.
You can follow Alfie Indra on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Listen to Alfie Indra on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music.
Words by Kat Smith
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.