Elvis – Rex Orange County, Brendan Yates

Release date: Nov.6, 2026

Genre: Indie Pop

Label: Big Pluto

Released on November 6 as part of Rex Orange County’s sixth studio album Dream Fatigue, “Elvis” features Brendan Yates, frontman of the Baltimore hardcore band Turnstile. The two connected through their shared interest in drumming, and Yates contributes both drums and vocals to the track. They previously debuted the song together at London’s Village Underground in August.

Musically, “Elvis” stays within Rex’s melodic indie-pop style, far removed from Turnstile’s hardcore sound. Rex handles the opening verses and choruses before Yates takes over the third verse. The title references Elvis Presley’s famous shaking legs, which Rex compares to his own nervous movements. The lyrics describe the difficulty of maintaining a relationship while touring, with references to being six thousand miles from home, performing in unfamiliar places, and wishing he could stay in a Vegas hotel forever with his partner.

Yates’s verse continues the touring theme but focuses on what might be missing when he finally returns home. His repeated line about returning to find a memory gone gives the song a less reassuring ending than Rex’s wish to stay together forever. Still, the song keeps its concerns fairly simple, with a catchy chorus and some amusing lyrical choices. Perhaps the most surprising is that Rex manages to rhyme “Elvis” with “selfish” without ever using the much more obvious “pelvis.”