Melbourne singer-songwriter Anya Alchemy has released new single ‘Don’t Say You Never Felt It’, a polished slice of indie alt-pop built around the frustration of knowing somebody feels the same way but refuses to admit it.
Co-written with Alice Ivy, aka Annika Schmarsel, the track takes Alchemy outside her usual writing routine. She generally works with her brother Jay, but a beat brought into the studio by Alice Ivy quickly sent the pair somewhere new.
“I don’t often write from scratch during co-writing sessions either but the lyrics for ‘Don’t Say You Never Felt It’ seemed to come so naturally when I heard Annika’s beat,” Alchemy explains.
There’s a soulful warmth underneath the song’s alt-pop sheen, with Alchemy’s vocals doing much of the heavy lifting. They move easily from restraint into something more forceful as the song tackles that maddening romantic grey area where one person knows what is happening while the other keeps insisting there is nothing to see.
The track was mixed by Matt Bartlem, whose credits include Boo Seeka, Lastlings and Jarryd James, and mastered by Dale Becker, who has worked with Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.
Originally from regional Victoria, Alchemy has been steadily widening the boundaries of her music since releasing debut single ‘Home’ with Pez in 2019. Her work pulls from indie and alt-pop while leaving room for hip-hop and soul, with 2024 single ‘ICK’ another marker in that development.
She has also built up plenty of live experience along the way, appearing with Conrad Sewell, Pierce Brothers, Boo Seeka, The Audreys and Nathan Cavaleri, as well as playing Melbourne’s Hello Sunshine Festival alongside The Veronicas, Grinspoon and Bliss N Eso.
‘Don’t Say You Never Felt It’ won’t be sitting alone for long. Alchemy says she has a sizeable collection of new singles waiting in the wings for the remainder of 2026 and into next year.
