Post-punk icon Elvis Costello has unveiled his timely new single, "No Flag," together with an animated lyric video a little past midnight, June 5.
According to a statement, Costello has already recorded the song back in February but released it now since it is "fitting for the current frustrations plaguing the world."
"I got no religion, I got no philosophy/ Got a head full of ideas and words that don't seem to belong to me," the song starts. Stark, looming lyrics fill the rest of the new Costello song: "No time for this kind of love/ No flag wavin' high above/ No sign for the dark place that I live/ No God for the damn that I don't give."
Elvis Costello traveled alone to Finland's capital city, Helsinki, on February 16. The 65-year-old music icon worked on "No Flag" for three days at the Suomenlinman Studio, a recording facility 20 minutes away from downtown Helsinki.
When asked about his choice of location, Costello said: "I wanted to go somewhere nobody knew me. So, this is 'The Helsinki Sound.'"
"No Flag" is Costello's first original work following "Look Now," Elvis Costello and the Imposters' 2018 album. Their 30th studio album was twenty years in the making and received generally positive reviews from critics.
Elvis Costello is also set to join Rosanne Cash in the Live With Carnegie Hall show "Present Perfect: Songs of Protest and Memory" on June 11. The event intended to "bring people together in times of crisis" is moderated by John Schaefer and will feature Gary Clark Jr., Brandi Carlile, Ry Cooder, and Marc Cohn.
The Pop Encyclopedia
Born Declan Patrick MacManus, Elvis Costello began his career in London's pub rock music scene in the 1970s. He later emerged as a part of the burgeoning British punk and new wave movement later in the decade. Costello released his breakthrough debut album "My Aim Is True" in 1977.
He later formed his backing band the Attractions. The band performed with him until creative differences drove a wedge into the group. Costello's band disbanded in 1986. He has mostly continued with his solo career, though Costello and the Attractions still had a couple of reunion performances.
As a songwriter, Costello has earned renown with his frequent use of wordplay and extensive vocabulary. He also draws his sound from a variety of genres. Stephen Erlewine, a music critic, described Elvis Costello as the "pop encyclopedia" who "can reinvent the past in his own image."
READ MORE: Six Famous Songs Written by People Outside the Band: Elvis Costello, the Eagles, and more
Aside from his career in music, Costello also had a career as an actor. He made his film debut in the 1979 film "Americathon." It was followed by his roles in "Straight to Hell," "No Surrender," and the UK TV series "Scully."
As a music icon, Elvis Costello has also appeared as himself in a variety of television programs. He performed Burt Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" in the 1999 comedy spy film "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." He also appeared on "3rd Rock from the Sun," "Frasier," "The Simpsons," and "Two and a Half Men."
Watch Elvis Costello's "No Flag" below:
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