Elbow’s Audio Vertigo isn’t just their 10th album—it’s a celebration of rhythm, swagger, and a return to the joy of making music together. Frontman Guy Garvey, fresh off turning 50, reflects on how the record came to life, shaped by new writing dynamics, beats-driven experimentation, and a little inspiration from Talk Talk and The Beatles. “We realized we wanted to make a groove-heavy album,” he says. “And the only conversation we had about it was: ‘Should we make a really fun one?’”
The result is an album that contrasts sharply with their introspective pandemic-era release. “We wanted to offer a distraction rather than a reflection this time,” Garvey explains. “There’s enough darkness in the world—we needed something from the hips, not just the heart.”
That shift included embracing pseudonyms and fragmented storytelling in the lyrics. “Doc and Jem? Nobody knows who they are,” he laughs. “But they’re based on real people, real stories, and moments from my past.” Another standout track, “Her to the Earth,” started as a joke between bandmates. “It sounded like Hall & Oates meets a bad Jaws theme,” Garvey jokes. “Then we made the chorus an homage to Talk Talk’s ‘Happiness Is Easy’—because why not?”
The album also touches on personal moments, including a misfired story about witnessing a knife fight in Istanbul that nearly led to domestic chaos. “I casually brought it up to my wife while she was cooking,” he says. “Her reaction was basically, ‘Why the hell are you telling me this now?’ And that became the chorus.”
Whether reflecting on the perils of self-deception (“I’m the dashboard hula girl of nodding self-deception”) or creating a record full of movement and energy, Elbow proves they’re still evolving. And as for album 11? “Mark [Potter] once said ten albums was a good number,” Garvey muses. “I think he regrets that now.”
Audio Vertigo is out now, and with it, Elbow delivers one of their most vibrant, groove-laden releases to date.
Watch the full interview above and then check out the video below.
