Elvis Depressedly
New Alhambra

New Alhambra presents itself as an album as captivating as it is melancholic. Elvis Depressedly has never been a cheerful group, and with this record, the tone doesn’t change. Yet, Mat Cothran, the voice of the band, sings in the second track "No More Sad Song" as if trying to convince himself that it’s time to end all this sadness, but it’s not: the song itself is sad, and the good intentions are swallowed by the next track, the title track, the only song over three minutes long, and it probably encapsulates the essence of the whole record.

The lyrics of Elvis Depressedly are almost poetic, yet easy to understand, they hit you right in the face, and speak of someone who has loved, and still loves, who has hoped, and still continues to hope, even though one might say it’s done so in vain.

New Alhambra has a cleaner sound compared to the band’s other productions, but still maintains the lo-fi indie rock style. It’s a peculiar record that draws you in, and you do nothing to resist, you fall into the dark atmosphere it creates, you let yourself be lulled by the slow and spectral rhythm without being able to escape. And even when "Big Break" starts, giving you the illusion of a carefree moment, the lyrics bring you back to where you were before:

"I’ve always been a fake, waiting on a big break, a big break that never comes"

A harsh truth that certainly can’t bring you joy, and two minutes of cheerfulness would surely not have changed things.

"Wastes of Time" is placed at the end of the album, probably because it sounds like Mat's resignation to his condition:

"Heartbreak can't phase me, I am crazy but I'm true. It's a sad world we were raised in, you could hate it but what's the use?"

The whole thing lasts just twenty minutes, minutes that seem much longer than they actually are, yet decidedly too few. The album remains a great work, probably the most successful by the band and will stay in your playlist for quite a while.