Elvis Costello & The Imposters, 'the Boy Named If'

These energetic tracks make it clear that the forced isolation of Covid has inspired Elvis Costello to rediscover the urgency of his style, not to mention his gift for wordplay and melody.

As a rule, one doesn’t know quite what to expect from the generally irascible Elvis Costello, especially given the fact he’s tended to stray into a remarkable array of directions and digressions over the course of a captivating career. That said, The Boy Named If finds the prodigal punk back in familiar territory, retracing the sounds that first brought him to prominence nearly 45 years ago. So while his efforts at retracing classic country, R&B, chamber music, and the sturdy standards of decades past have won him ongoing admiration, it’s comforting to find him revisiting his original turf and offering up the petulant sounds of his earlier endeavors.

The Boy Named If, from Elvis Costello & The Imposters, is 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 Costello and Sebatian Krys.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters release The Boy Named If (Alive at Memphis Magnetic), a companion to January’s widely-acclaimed album The Boy Named If which was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album."

Elvis Costello & The Imposters release The Boy Named If (Alive at Memphis Magnetic), a companion to January’s widely-acclaimed album The Boy Named If which was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album."
This new album features live-in-the studio renditions of TBNI songs, a version of Costello’s “Every Day I Write the Book”, numbers by The Rolling Stones, Nick Lowe, The Byrds and Paul McCartney and a brand new remix by the Japanese duo, chelmico.Recorded live-in-the-studio during tour rehearsals at Memphis Magnetic Recording in October 2021 and May 2022, the album captures the band playing, as Costello puts, “Some of our favourite songs while negotiating with any tricky angles in our new tunes."

The Boy Named If is the 32nd studio album by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and The Imposters. The album was released on 14 January 2022 by EMI Records and Capitol Records.

Elvis Costello arrived as a sneering spitfire, the smartest and meanest singer/songwriter in the first wave of 1970s British punk backed by the Attractions, a band who could match his ferocity. Soon, Costello galloped away from the loud, fast rules of punk, demonstrating his musical and verbal facility with Armed Forces, a 1979 album that contained "Oliver's Army," "Accidents Will Happen," and his cover of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," a trio of singles that turned into new wave standards. Such rapid musical evolution and switches in style became the rule in Costello's career, as he amassed a catalog that seemed to touch upon every conceivable genre of popular music.

Elvis Costello arrived as a sneering spitfire, the smartest and meanest singer/songwriter in the first wave of 1970s British punk backed by the Attractions, a band who could match his ferocity. Soon, Costello galloped away from the loud, fast rules of punk, demonstrating his musical and verbal facility with Armed Forces, a 1979 album that contained "Oliver's Army," "Accidents Will Happen," and his cover of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," a trio of singles that turned into new wave standards. Such rapid musical evolution and switches in style became the rule in Costello's career, as he amassed a catalog that seemed to touch upon every conceivable genre of popular music.

Elvis Costello arrived as a sneering spitfire, the smartest and meanest singer/songwriter in the first wave of 1970s British punk backed by the Attractions, a band who could match his ferocity. Soon, Costello galloped away from the loud, fast rules of punk, demonstrating his musical and verbal facility with Armed Forces, a 1979 album that contained "Oliver's Army," "Accidents Will Happen," and his cover of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," a trio of singles that turned into new wave standards. Such rapid musical evolution and switches in style became the rule in Costello's career, as he amassed a catalog that seemed to touch upon every conceivable genre of popular music.

In his 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink, Elvis Costello recalled an early gig at the British Legion Hall "on the posh side of Birkenhead Park" in Birkenhead, Merseyside. "I can't say my set was a triumph," he wrote. "I went off to a round of feeble applause from a handful of pensioners supping mild beer and a smattering of teenagers in army petticoats drinking cider.