Released August 22, 2025, ELIXIR, an album by Alex Sanders, gives us an early taste of autumn with its soft yet deeply-hitting sounds that hold your soul tight. ELIXIR isn’t Alex Sanders’ first album, and his experience with songwriting shows through in his lyrical capabilities and in the way that each song is unique from the others, and yet the whole album is cohesive and contains such a magnetic flow that begs the listener for a full listen-through each time they pull it up.
The album opens with “motion blue” and “look into my eyes”, soft tracks that seem to cradle the listener with their beautiful melodies and their gorgeous guitar parts (which are a staple throughout this album). They, to me, feel like those days each year when the first autumn breezes blow through the air, ushering in the colder weather, yet soft enough that you seem to forget the brutality of winter.
The third track, and one of my favorites, is “inertia”. It starts out with some beautiful synth and distorted and wavy guitar tones that just draw you in. The fourth track, “scars”, has a similar tonality, with a wavy, distorted lead guitar and backing guitar helping build up the gorgeous instrumentals. The vocals in “scars” are mixed with just the exact perfect amount of reverb, creating this wistful, far-away quality that mirrors the tone of the lyrics and the distorted guitar tones. I am obsessed with the soft lead guitar riffs in “scars”, they add so much depth to the track, and the same goes for “inertia”. The lead guitar and synth tones and riffs add so much depth to the track as a whole and highlight the vocals really well.
One of my favorites in ELIXIR is the fifth track, “free”. It has lyrics that are a reprisal from “scars” and the riffs and tones tie “free” to “scars” in a way that’s more than just a reprisal; it gives the two tracks almost a sibling-like connection, with the fifth track, “routes,” existing as a small reprieve from the energy between them. Track seven, “california”, starts out with energetic yet soft guitar riffs with a wonderful distortion on them, creating a much different vibe than the previous three. It’s a wonderful shift, and I absolutely adore “california”, even if it is a super short track.
The ninth track, “let me in” is another one of my favorites. It has so much energy, yet keeps the same tonality of the softer, more chill tracks, and has a wavy quality that makes me think of the summer songs that were popular when I was in high school. It has a nostalgic quality in that way, taking me back to earlier times in my life, and yet perfectly encapsulating the “sounds of the summer” that have characterized the summer of 2025.
I also really love the twelfth and final track, “backstage”, with its similarly nostalgic quality and soft lead guitar riffs and wavy vocals. The whole track has a dreamy feel to it, but more specifically, that kind of feeling when you’re trying to recall a memory and all of it is hazy except for your favorite part of it. It’s an absolutely gorgeous track that takes hold of the listener, reminding them of that small transition, that almost unnoticeable transition between the end of summer and the beginning of fall.
Overall, ELIXIR is an album that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of memories, both long gone and recent, and the way we strive to hold onto them, even if we should just let them go. ELIXIR is phenomenal for the way that nostalgia comes easy, that memories both blend into one another and yet stand out perfectly on their own. It’s easily a masterpiece, and Alex Sanders should be on everyone’s list of artists to add to their favorite playlists.
Written by Valor
