Ex:re – Save As

Ex:Re's Save As is Elena Tonra's second album under her solo moniker, arriving eight years after the 2018 debut and bringing her writing into a more detailed alt-pop frame on 4AD. Best known as the singer and songwriter from Daughter, Tonra uses this record to explore overthinking, indecision and the pressure of choice, with lead single "Radio Station" turning an endless road trip into a portrait of a turbulent mind.

Produced by Fabian Prynn, the album draws on both early demo fragments and studio improvisation rather than a single strict concept. That gives Save As a restless, intimate character: acoustic passages sit beside subtle electronics, strings and programmed textures, with "Sleep" reportedly growing from a Paris hotel-room recording and developing into something hazy and loop-driven. The songs focus on memory, self-doubt and everyday mental spirals without losing Tonra's directness as a lyricist.

Tonra also brings in a close circle of collaborators who help widen the sound without crowding it: Josephine Stephenson on cello, Hinako Omori on synthesizers, Ben Reed on bass and Jethro Fox on electric guitar. "Am I Even Real?" sharpens the emotional tension further by questioning honesty within a relationship, while the wider album balances sparse confession with carefully built arrangements. For listeners who love Daughter but want to hear Tonra's songwriting pushed toward a more inward, textural space, this is a compelling next chapter.