I got cheesed off reading a review on this album that was grumbling about disliking dark pop. I mean…don’t review it then lol. That’s like me taking up a review for a death metal album and saying from the outside I dislike dark metal. If you read our review policy, we review music that we generally like and are happy to put over, we listen to every track and we don’t use subjective star reviews. And I do like dark brooding pop with some lyrical bite. When I wrote a fun feature recently about what music the wives of Henry VIII would listen to (I’ve linked the piece at the end of this) I suggested Ella Red could sneak her way into Catherine Howards playlist.
Which brings me to the dark pop of Ella Red. Ella has this song that went mega online with “I like you Best (with your head beneath my legs)” – an ode to…well I am sure you need no diagram. Her material is generally hyper-sexualised, but with dark brooding lyrical overtones. I will say as well that a mega-popular song does not always equate to a mega artist, but in the great world of music algorithms she slots inside SALT, or sapphic alternative which is sexually driven hyper-feminine lyricism strung over heavy pop-rock instrumentalism. Given the current popularity of solo female artists (very often creating music by girls for girls), Ella is one of those rapidly claiming attention, she’s more for Sabrina Carpenter fans I feel. This is her debut album, it was released January 2026 and is on all streaming platforms.
My Review:
The album has 13 songs and runs to just under 38 minutes.
“Parasite” and the idea of night terrors as your body is occupied by a parasite. Sweet melody and darkness enfolds. You want broody, Hamlet melancholy, then this track picks up the mood and you enter the inner traumas. Yet it also orchestrally builds up late in the track and the inner scream echoing the background sets up the album as it intends to go on.
“Ball and Chain” has the mirrors pulled down and the glass on the floor. It lyrically drifts rhythmically and brings in a dance rhythm. It is an effective alt-pop with a spin.
“We’re all Going to Die” is one I liked from the off. Infectious power pop with a strong beat and chorus on the darkest of topics. It can hit hard and the drum sound hits the spot nicely. You have that chant style chorus that took me toward Pretty Reckless for some reason. I liked this one, straight over to my playlist.
“Funeral” is an album track. It is in the lane for Ella, doing what it does and has a fast beat over the funeral theme. Death is certainly a running theme on this album, and maybe that reflects a difficult world right now.
“He asked for it” reflects on a murder, but then he probably deserved it. Let’s face it I have someone I’d cheerfully murder lol! Pull your dance shoes on and unleash your darker side. Another decent album track, not as strong as some but fine.
“Predator” – at 1.55 a very quick track, and a very good track. Ella is the shark and the beat is infectious. Ella has become the parasite under your skin this time. The album interconnects lyrically, often playing with mythology.
“Party Animal” is what it says, a party track where you strut your stuff and your big doe eyes. Again we have lyrical cross-links with Aphrodite making a lyrical entrance. It is a track prepared for the live stage, delivering a heavier chorus sound and beat.
“Aphrodite” is stripped down and enters with a piano and ethereal lyricism. It’s one of those intimate tracks and, again, the reaper and death walks through the track. The background vocals sway to the melody and the song has a closeness about it.
“Cupid” follows up with another stripped down song, an acoustic guitar barely there whispers the tune under a sad winter song. I wonder if the one I once loved is happier now I am no longer there? I can ponder that too, Cupid seems to destroy hearts as much as fire them up, I agree. It’s an intimate song.
“Always the Artist”- “always the artist and never the muse”…is an interesting idea. I liked the lyrics and the song is gentle, as is the theme for this mid-section of the album.
“Religion” moves us into the twilight section of the album. It is a dark and dreamy track, more about possession and desire, dark desire. A track for the very early hours over a glass of blood red wine.
“Spider Spring” is unusual! The beat picks up again from the more sombre run we have had. It has plenty of dance beat and a sense of almost eighties pop in there (Visage).
“It’s Not Real” – we make mistakes, we are only human notes Ella in a really strong vocal performance and with a vocal performance that closes the album down in a dreamy pop beat. We all cry and shout sometimes, maybe music can help us get through it all.
In summary, does this debut album cut the mustard? It’s Not Real is a confident, thematically cohesive debut that leans hard into dark pop’s obsessions with death, desire, mythology and feminine agency, without ever feeling gimmicky. While not every track screams instant classic, the album’s strongest moments (“Parasite,” “We’re All Going to Die,” “Predator”) show an artist already in command of her aesthetic and audience. Ella Red understands the power of intimacy as much as spectacle, balancing brooding vulnerability with sharp, danceable hooks. If you like your pop dark, sensual and unapologetically dramatic, It’s Not Real is absolutely worth your time — and probably a playlist add 🖤
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Ella Red is on tour as of February in the US, ticket information and dates are on the artist website linked below.
You can stream music by Ella Red here
Artist website here
By Anna-Louise Burgess