Carmelo Alfano‘s path to “Is This You?,” out September 1st, has taken some genuinely unusual turns. The London-based, Sicilian-rooted artist spent two years studying voice in Modena with the teacher of Luciano Pavarotti, filmed live-streamed gigs over dial-up more than two decades ago, long before streaming was standard practice, and fronted a band that once supported James Blunt. That band is also where this collaboration traces back to: Hamstall, the keyboardist in Alfano’s old lineup, went on to form Sundae Club with producer George Shilling, a project whose music has turned up on GMTV and ITV’s Champions League Weekly coverage over the years. “Is This You?” brings those two musical threads together, an eclectic, electronic-leaning track that sits somewhere between indie alternative and atmospheric lounge.
The harmony here is genuinely rich and complex, shifting between minor and major in a way that gives the track an ethereal, deeply mysterious quality throughout. Layered choir vocals push that even further, adding a genuinely otherworldly texture that elevates the track beyond a straightforward electronic mood piece. It’s the kind of harmonic movement that rewards close listening, the sort of detail that separates a track built with real compositional care from something assembled purely for atmosphere.
Given the decades of experience behind this pairing, Alfano’s opera-trained background meeting Sundae Club’s own history of collaborators and industry connections, it’s not surprising that “Is This You?” carries the weight of two genuinely seasoned musical minds working through something unconventional together. For listeners drawn to electronic and art-pop territory with something a little stranger and more textured running underneath it, this track is well worth the discovery.