Elvis Costello and his band The Imposters announced they will release a new album The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s stories) on January 14, 2022. Along with the announcement of the new album, Costello released a new song titled “Magnificent Hurt”. A groovy throwback rock and roll sounding track that is anchored by Costello’s emotive, romantic voice and lyrics. With a beachy sounding guitar and keyboard pacing the track, Elvis Costello’s distinctive soulful voice is given room to shine and he belts out lyrics of how magnificent this love interest of his is.
On the album, Costello wants to harken back to a moment right in the period he describes as “the last days of a bewildered boyhood to that mortifying moment when you are told to stop acting like a child.” The romance that seems brand new and won’t ever stop. The lyrics will capture this strange and brand new world of pain from experiencing love and the departure from the innocence of youth. Each song on the album will be a short story of sorts, capturing a feeling and moment in time. The album will also be sold with a 88 page storybook accompaniment
Earlier this year Costello and his band experimented with playing music from another era and reimagining it in a different light, which produced the Spanish Model, an all Spanish language version of his album This Year’s Model
The Boy Named If Track Listing:
1. Farewell, OK
2. The Boy Named If
3. Penelope Halfpenny
4. The Difference
5. What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?
6. Paint The Red Rose Blue
7. Mistook Me For A Friend
8. My Most Beautiful Mistake (guest vocal by Nicole Atkins)
9. Magnificent Hurt
10. The Man You Love To Hate
11. The Death Of Magic Thinking
12. Trick Out The Truth
13. Mr. Crescent
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