Last year, if people spotted Olly Alexander and recognised him, it was probably as an actor. In January 2021 he was starring in It’s a Sin, Russell T Davies’ hit TV drama about the HIV/AIDS crisis – a breakout role so impactful that by the summer The Sun was claiming he was going to be the next Doctor Who.
But all the while, the 31-year-old was working on songs for the third Years & Years album, a turbulent process that included the scrapping of dozens of early compositions and a split from his bandmates Emre Türkmen and Mikey Goldsworthy. He kept the name, but this collection is effectively his first solo release.
