Elvis Costello & The Imposters have released their new song, “Paint the Red Rose Blue,” which you can check out below.
According to Costello, the song is “The account of someone who has long-courted theatrical darkness, only for its violence and cruelty to become all too real. In its wake, a bereft couple learn to love again, painting a melancholy blue over the red of romance.”
“Paint the Red Rose Blue” is the second song to be released from the band’s new album, The Boy Named If, out January 14 2022, the new album of urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, guitar solos that sting and a quick step to the rhythm.
Earlier this week, Costello shared a new video for his song “Magnificent Hurt,” the lead track from The Boy Named If. The clip features marionette figures made by Tony Sinnett, who conceived the idea along with Costello himself. Animation is by Arlo McFurlow, artwork by Eamon Singer, and the video was edited by Elliot Thomas.
The 13-track The Boy Named If, produced by Costello and Sebastian Krys, includes a guest vocal by Nicole Atkins on the track “My Most Brilliant Mistake.” The album is Costello’s sixth release since October 2020 and will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette, as a download, via streaming and in a numbered, signed, 88-page hardback storybook edition.
“Magnificent Hurt” was described by Spin as “organ-thumping,” while Stereogum called it “a straight-up rocker that sounds a whole lot like something that Costello might’ve made in the late 70s. The song has a pounding backbeat, some perfect organ interjections from longtime bandmate Steve Nieve, and a lead vocal with some real snarl in it.”
cultfollowing.co.uk said the song proved that Costello was “back with a bite.” It went on: “He and the Imposters are gearing up for another setlist of quality entertainment…his vocal powers remain unchallenged and as strong as ever. He adapts with the vocal array now presented to him to deliver a story of bridging the gap between risk and reward.”