Elvis Costello has shared details of his new album with The Imposters, ‘The Boy Named If’, as well as the record’s first single.

”The full title of this record is ‘The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories),” Costello explained in a new press release.

“‘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.”

Discussing the lyrical content of the record, the veteran songwriter said: “Once upon a time, when I didn’t know what a kiss could do and didn’t even dare to caress, the way ahead was a mystery; a departing from that magic state called innocence for the pain that leads to pleasure and all that jazz.”

He added: “Don’t get me started about the guilt and shame and all those other useless possessions that you must throw overboard before you set sail with your dreamboat (and a runcible spoon).”

The album is preceded by rock’n’roll track ‘Magnificent Hurt’ – you can listen below.

Costello described the album as a collection of songs that “take us from the last days of a bewildered boyhood to that mortifying moment when you are told to stop acting like a child – which for most men (and perhaps a few gals too) can be any time in the next fifty years.”

Produced by Sebastian Krys and Costello and released on EMI, ‘The Boy Named If’ will arrive via CD, vinyl, cassette, download, streaming, and a numbered and signed, 88-page “Hardback Storybook Edition”. Fans can pre-order the album here.

Last month (September 10), Costello released a Spanish reimagining of his classic 1978 album ‘This Year’s Model’.

The record, a collaboration with Costello’s regular sidekick Sebastian Krys titled ‘Spanish Model’, followed the previous release of ‘La Face de Pendule à Coucou’, a six-track EP featuring French adaptations of songs from Costello’s 2020 album ‘Hey Clockface’.