Elvis Costello and The Imposters released a new album Jan. 14: The Boy Named If. Spanning 13 songs, this is the first album the group has released since 2018. The album is in the genre of rock, and Costello and The Imposters definitely don’t hold back. 

Costello released his debut album in 1977, and has had massive success since then. Costello and The Attractions toured together, and even recorded albums together for the better part of a decade. He has done solo work intertwined with collaborative work with The Imposters and The Attractions. As of 2002, Costello has been working alongside The Imposters.  

“Farewell, OK,” the first track of the album, immediately starts with loud drums with crashing cymbals, fun synthesizers, and memorable lyrics. Running 2 minutes and 54 seconds, “Farewell, OK” is a great start to the album. 

The title track, “The Boy Named If,” is a slower song. There are moments in the bass line where I can hear influences of The Beatles, while it maintains a sound unique to Costello and The Imposters. “The Boy Named If,” has way softer drums than “Farewell, OK,” or “Penelope Halfpenny,”, as both are faster, harder rock songs. 

“The Difference,” has a more of a Spanish sound to it at the beginning, with cleaner phrases of music. It switches between staccato and more messy rock phrases. Costello’s vocal range is displayed during the choruses of this song, and it sounds really good. The bass line is extremely rubbery sounding, and the guitar and synths switch between major and minor sounding keys. 

“What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?,” is a really great song, even though it is about a man having an affair. It is one you will want to dance to. About 1 minute and 30 seconds into the song, there is an intricate guitar solo. The drums are pretty simple, as well as the bass line, and most of the guitar parts (minus solos). 

The lyrics are sweet and meaningful, but also sad.”I recall the moonlight falling on your face,” and “You’re all I adore” are the type of lyrics that confused me the first time I listen to this song. But listening again (and reading the lyrics this time), I heard the lyric “When this is over I’ll go back to my wife.” The end of the song has a great moment where everything came together for a crescendo, and then the music dies out, which is a wonderful ending. 

“The Man You Love To Hate,” is the ninth track on the album, and it is slower in comparison to “Mistook Me For A Friend.” It feels like something out of a western movie soundtrack. The drums are pretty simple, with nice runs on the keyboard, and nice sounding bass and guitar. The whole song really feels like a cross between “I’m Only Sleeping,” and “Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” by The Beatles, so I really enjoyed this song. 

“The Death Of Magic Thinking,” deeply reminded me of The Talking Heads, with the way the music was phrased and how it sounded. It’s a very light hearted sounding song, and has nice runs in the guitar. This song also brings out Costello’s vocal range, which has evolved slightly with time. 

Overall, The Boy Named If is a great album, and has a really good mix of faster and slower songs. It can be nice music to have in the background as you drive, dance, or even study.