Released in January 1981, Trust arrived at a point where Elvis Costello and the Attractions were already on a ferocious run, yet it feels less like a victory lap than a deliberate broadening of the palette. The album moves easily through nervy pop, rockabilly, piano balladry, soul-inflected tension and nightclub noir, with “Clubland,” “Watch Your Step,” “New Lace Sleeves” and “From a Whisper to a Scream” showing how much more spacious and subtle the band had become. It still has the bite of the early records, but there is more atmosphere here, more ambiguity, and more room for Steve Nieve’s piano and the band’s arrangement ideas to do real dramatic work.

What makes Trust so rewarding is that it does not chase the instant impact of This Year’s Model or the manic density of Get Happy!! Instead, it lets Costello’s writing turn darker, sadder and more mature without losing melody. Even when the songs are full of cruelty, jealousy, self-disgust or social menace, the record remains irresistibly musical, which is part of why it has aged so well. It is one of those albums that can seem slightly overshadowed in a huge catalogue at first, then gradually reveals itself as one of his richest and most consistent statements.

Reviews

“his funniest, his wisest and his most rocking” – Rolling Stone

“every song works and every stretch is justified” – Pitchfork

“a dark and brooding masterpiece” – Stereogum

“the most diverse and yet consistently great album” – Treble

“rock and roll as eloquent, hard-hitting pop” – Robert Christgau