Album Review: "IT'S NOT REAL" - Ella Red

Karlee Skipper
10 minutes ago
7 min read

Ella Red IT'S NOT REAL Album Art via Nettwerk Music Group

Ella Red is a whimsical fairy princess who mixes ethereal imagery and sharp lyrics to craft an impeccable discography. Her debut album, IT’S NOT REAL, kicked off my heavily anticipated albums of 2026 list. In August 2025, I had the pleasure of seeing Red perform as the supporting act for Ellise, and I instantly became obsessed with the artist. Her eerie soundscapes and heavenly voice make for flawless music. At that show, I was thrilled to hear a taste of IT’S NOT REAL, with songs such as “Ball and Chain” and “He Asked For It”. Red’s first LP is an emotional rollercoaster of rage, longing, self-criticism, and female empowerment. Through her 13 songs, the singer showcases her undeniable songwriting talent, impressive vocal range, and clever production.

Track List

Parasite

Ball and Chain

We’re All Gonna Die

Funeral

He Asked for It

Predator

Party Animal

Aphrodite

Cupid

Always the Artist

Religion

Spider String

IT’S NOT REAL

PARASITE

Red kicked off the album with the eerie, dark ballad “Parasite.” The moody production and the singer’s smooth vocals create the hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that lures people into the new project. The lyrics explore themes of self-hatred and helplessness. Red takes her depression and deteriorating mental health and turns it into a grim metaphorical parasite. She is the host for this “parasite” — one that is sucking her dry, leaving her a shell of herself. With her stunning vocals and descriptive imagery, Red successfully places hooks in the listener's mind and keeps them craving more.

Ball and Chain

“Ball and Chain” continues the theme of mental health and self-loathing. The energizing track immediately catches the listener's attention with the electric guitar in the intro. When the verse hits, Red’s flawless voice takes over the song. While the song has a more upbeat sound, the lyrics are devastating. Written while Red was enduring an illness, the song reflects her fear of dying and the existential crisis she experienced. She was stuck in her head and wanted to break free. She sees everyone making the same mistakes, but she wants to change this for herself now that she’s in this crisis mode. “Ball and Chain” is a whimsical dark-pop anthem that perfectly encapsulates Red as an artist.

We’re All Gonna Die

The theme of existentialism remains in “We’re All Gonna Die.” The song starts with a chorus of people yelling, “we’re all gonna die,” before transitioning into the alt-rock-influenced verse. The production is reminiscent of the 2000s punk-rock era, while Red’s vocals maintain her timeless, effervescent style. The lyrics discuss the inevitability of death, and no matter who you are and how you live, we all end up six feet under. In the chorus, just one line defines what it means to be human: “We’re just making up religions on our way out the door.” There are over 4,000 religions in the world, and only one can be true – but no one knows which. It is a coping mechanism to comfort us when faced with the finality of death. Red’s vocals are dripping with desperation and emotion as she wrestles with the uncertainty of an afterlife, showcasing her innate ability to turn lyrics into a cinematic tale.

Funeral

The story continues in “Funeral,” where Red ruthlessly celebrates the death of an enemy. Whether her muse is an ex-partner, a former friend, or a fictional book character, the story explores the feeling of pure joy and relief at knowing someone is gone forever. Red confesses that she’s happy at this person’s death – or the end of the relationship. Their demise was necessary for her happiness, as it was toxic and gruesome. Alongside this dark imagery, the production is fast-paced, with an alt-pop soundscape that creates a feeling of movie-like magic.

He Asked for It

Red lives out every woman’s fantasy in this devilish track. “He Asked For It” flips the script on the misogynist belief that a woman is “asking” to be sexually harassed or assaulted because of the clothes she was wearing, her dating history, or where she was walking at night. In this track, Red describes the story of her murdering a man simply because he asked for it. Read more about the track in my song review here.

Predator

The ominous vibe remains in “Predator,” where Red warns her subject that she is coming for them – and she’s out for blood. She’s a fox, a shark, a snake, slowly creeping in for the kill. Alongside her lethal lyrics, the dark-pop soundscape evokes a cinematic psychological thriller, with haunting vocals and distorted instrumentation to emphasize the message.

Party Animal

“Party Animal” diverts from the album's dark soundscape and is reminiscent of 2010s KE$HA, with energetic, fast-paced vocals and a catchy production. On a surface level, the lyrics seem fun and lighthearted. However, when you pay attention to the words, you uncover the devastating message. “Party Animal” explores the singer’s jealousy over this mysterious woman. She wishes to be her – desires to be the carefree, showstopping muse described. In the chorus, Red sings: “Somebody called me Aphrodite // I’m a little like Psyche.” This Greek Mythology reference indicates that she cannot see herself as the Goddess of love and beauty, which cleverly transitions into the next song.

Aphrodite

Red slows down the album with the dark emotional ballad, “Aphrodite.” The melancholy track is an ode to the Goddess, praying for answers. The song explores the singer’s desire for self-acceptance and breaking free from both society’s expectations and her own insecurities. About the song, Red said she wrote it about “what it feels like to live inside a body that’s been judged, desired, dismissed, and hated more than it’s ever been loved.” The raw desperation in her voice underscores her yearning to be released from the shackles and to be comfortable with who she is. In the bridge, Red’s haunting vocals repeat the line: “A woman fighting.” As the emotions build, the song plays the intro to Angela Davis’s January 21st, 2017 Women’s March speech: “At this very challenging moment in our history, let us remind ourselves that we, the hundreds of thousands, the millions of women…” Outside of the song, the speech continues with Davis concluding the quote with “...transpeople, men, and youth who are here at the Women’s March, we represent the powerful forces of change.” Red inserts this speech into “Aphrodite” to symbolize her desire for society to let go of the judgment and unrealistic standards imposed on women. As someone who has been in the crowd while Red sang this song, seeing so many women cry along with the lyrics highlights the power of the track and the inspiration of the singer.

Cupid

The somber atmosphere is maintained in “Cupid” with a soft, acoustic ballad and heartwrenching lyrics. Red describes losing another relationship, leaving the singer feeling numb and confused. She relays that she did everything right in the relationship and still was left broken. She blames Cupid for the destruction, always leaving her to mourn. This time, she describes her partner as the love of her life, but “Cupid had a deal he had to make // He said, every heart I loved, he would have to break.” Red’s voice conveys the feeling of loss that ties the entire song into one neat, yet devastating bow.

Always the Artist

“Always the Artist” is an ethereal pop ballad containing soothing synth and delicate piano that beautifully complements Red’s stunning vocals. The singer expresses her frustration and sorrow that she is always the person writing songs about someone else, always completely infatuated by someone, but she is never the person being written about. She longs to be desired, to be loved in such a way that they feel inspired to sing about her, write about her, paint portraits of her. Instead, she’s left wondering if she’s worth the time to be someone’s muse, or if she is doomed to the fate of pursuing and not being pursued.

Religion

Red brings back the intense energy with “Religion.” The dark-pop anthem is a sensual ode to her lover. They are her religion – the one thing she spends all her time and thoughts on. She is fully devoted to them, and nothing else. The song begins with a deep bass that transitions to the beat-heavy verse. The synth melody reels the listener in and creates a feeling of dread and anticipation. When the chorus hits, the beat seizes to focus on the hook: “I found my religion, good God he’s a vision.” This allows Red to hone in on the obsessive message and emphasize the possession she is under. The moody soundscape and unique imagery make “Religion” one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Spider String

Returning to the morbid theme, “Spider String” paints a deadly image of decay and horror. With lyrics such as “I’d rather rot and ravage with the bug and E Coli // Lie in the hollows of the earth, somewhere that they’ll never find,” and “Let me decay // Be an ugly thing // Fill all my holes // With spider string,” Red describes her desire to escape from the world and become a part of the earth. She wants anyone who is listening to leave her alone and let her sink into this void. Similar to many of the other tracks, “Spider String” contains a dark, intense pop soundscape that evokes feelings of dread and gloom.

IT’S NOT REAL

The title track is perhaps the most unique song on the album. In the verses, the singer turns to melodic rap to express her feelings of self-doubt and desperation. “IT’S NOT REAL” starts with muffled vocalizations and heavy synth effects to set the somber tone, before Red leads the verse with her spoken word. The singer expresses her exasperation at societal rules and gender roles, and not knowing where she belongs. The pre-chorus maintains the slow, haunting vibe as the singer rejects these thoughts. When the chorus hits, the song switches to a fast-paced, frantic melody that emulates the singer’s anxiety. Red’s ability to convey such vulnerable devastation while maintaining her iconic dark-pop soundscapes is one of the reasons so many people fall in love with her.

IT’S NOT REAL by Ella Red is a flawless album that can be played on an endless loop. There is not one song on the project that can be skipped, and every lyric is methodically written. As her debut album, she blew it out of the water. It is not every day an artist releases a perfect album, let alone it being their very first. From the anger in “He Asked for It” to the sorrow in “Aphrodite,” Red displays a range of complex human emotions. It may be too early to tell, but IT’S NOT REAL is on its way as one of the best projects of 2026.

Follow Ella Red on all social media! She is about to embark on her first headlining tour, starting on February 17th in Houston, TX, and concluding on March 14th in Dallas, TX. This week, she announced a final show on April 15th in Los Angeles. Click here to purchase tickets for a show near you.

Written By Karlee Skipper