Elvis Costello & The Imposters The Boy Named If 180g 2LP

Rated One of the Best Rock Albums of 2022 by The Absolute Sound!

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the May/June 2022 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Elvis Costello & The Imposters release The Boy Named If, an album of urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, stinging guitar solos, and a quick step to the rhythm.

Costello says, "The full title of this record is 'The Boy Named If (And Other Children's Stories).' 'IF' is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own."

Produced by Elvis Costello and Sebastian Krys.

...[H]is purest dose of rock & roll since maybe Blood & Chocolate. Where that 1986 album teems with resentment and untrammeled ire, The Boy Named If feels exuberant; he's not bloodletting, he's tapping into a musical vein that's proved to be a vital resource throughout his career. The difference is subtle but palpable, a reflection of Costello's status as a rock troubadour. Here, Costello is playing with familiar building blocks - pumped-up riffs, fleet wordplay, an omnivorous musical appetite - yet often assembling these elements in fresh, unexpected ways.... The Boy Named If often plays upon memories of Attractions albums past, but never in a nostalgic way. Costello isn't winking at his audience, he's drawing upon his deep musical vocabulary to create songs that recall his catalog yet feel playful and alive. Much of this liveliness is due to Costello's batch of original tunes being among his sturdiest of the 21st century.

Costello fans won't be disappointed.