Elena Tonra Revives Ex With New Album Save As and Single “Radio Station”
Elena Tonra, frontwoman of London indie-folk band Daughter, is returning to her solo project Ex with a new album, Save As, due for release on October 30.
The announcement comes with the release of the album's lead single, “Radio Station”, accompanied by a music video filmed in Paris.
Tonra launched Ex with a self-titled solo album in 2018 and had originally expected it to remain a one-off project. That changed in 2023 when she returned to the studio with producer Fabian Prynn, who also worked on the first Ex record.
The sessions developed into Save As, marking the return of the project after several years away.
Ex returns with “Radio Station”
“Radio Station” opens with strummed acoustic guitar before developing into a more atmospheric track built around guitars, synthesiser textures and percussion from Prynn.
The song explores the changing nature of Tonra's thoughts and emotions, using the idea of a constantly changing radio station as a metaphor.
“The changing radio station is something I experience a lot – the push and pull of different feelings, and I end up getting stuck because I can’t make decisions,” Tonra says.
The track draws on fragments of memories and overheard conversations, creating a stream-of-consciousness feel as the song develops.
Tonra's lyrics move between seemingly disconnected images and conversations, while the arrangement gradually expands around her vocal.
A record about memory and consciousness
According to Tonra, Save As does not follow a single overarching narrative.
Instead, the album examines the small details of everyday thought, including overthinking, memory and the desire to escape from familiar surroundings.
Memory is particularly important to the record's concept.
“My memory is not always very good,” Tonra says.
Writing these moments into songs has given Tonra a way of preserving them and returning to them later. She describes listening to or performing the songs as being similar to travelling back through time.
The album was produced by Fabian Prynn and features contributions from Josephine Stephenson on cello, Hinako Omori on synthesisers, Ben Reed on bass and Jethro Fox on electric guitar.
Save As formats and release date
Save As will be released on October 30 in digital formats, CD, standard black vinyl and crystal-clear vinyl.
The record follows Ex's 2018 self-titled debut and represents Tonra's return to a solo project she had not originally planned to continue.
Ex announces release-week live shows
Ex will also perform a series of in-store performances around the album's release. Book Tickets.
The current dates are:
- October 30 — London, UK — Rough Trade East
- October 31 — Brighton, UK — Resident
- November 4 — Leeds, UK — Jumbo
- November 5 — Liverpool, UK — Jacaranda Basement
- November 6 — Oxford, UK — Truck
The shows will give fans an opportunity to hear material from Save As alongside Tonra's earlier Ex work.
With “Radio Station” now available and Save As arriving at the end of October, Elena Tonra is once again exploring the more intimate and introspective side of her songwriting away from Daughter.
APN Music will continue to follow Ex and Elena Tonra's return with Save As.
Track information
Ex — “Radio Station”
Lead single from Save As
Released: September 14, 2026
Ex — Save As
Release date: October 30, 2026
Formats: Digital, CD, Standard Black Vinyl, Crystal Clear Vinyl (Pre Order)
Credit [Elena Tonra by El Hardwick provided by 4AD