Boston alt-rock trio Elsewhere has resurrected a lost Police demo and give it a second life with their new single โDonโt You Believe Me Baby.โ Originally written during Ghost in the Machine sessions back in 1981, the track only survived as a crude demo until frontman Michael Aroian, a self-professed Police disciple, decided it was too good to stay buried. Fast forward, and the song has now become a streaming hit, over half a million plays and a live staple, thanks to the bandโs fiery performance at The Paradise Rock Club while opening for Our Lady Peace in 2021.
The track itself doesnโt disappoint. It kicks off with thumping drums and shimmering cymbals, instantly setting a restless, driving energy. Then Aroianโs thick, impassioned voice cuts in, carrying that storytelling weight where vulnerability and bravado mingle. He sings like heโs leaning into the crowd, pouring out every ounce of intensity, homage and reinvention. And whatโs wild is how Elsewhere manages to channel the spirit of Sting, Copeland, and Summers so very freshly. The bass bounces with that classic Police elasticity, the guitar lines shimmer and sting, and the rhythm pounds with a heartbeat urgency.
But itโs not just a nostalgia trip. Elsewhere pushes the song into the now, their prog-punk leanings coloring the edges with grit and modernity. The lyrics, slightly reshaped to fit a 21st-century context, land like an โanti-ballad,โ a darker, moodier counterpoint to โEvery Little Thing She Does Is Magic,โ the hit it supposedly inspired. Listening closely, you hear echoes of what could have been, but also what this band has made entirely their own.
In short, โDonโt You Believe Me Babyโ feels less like a cover and more like a reclamation. Elsewhere proves theyโre not just carrying a torch, theyโre setting their own fire, and fans are finally catching on. Watch Elsewhere performing it on YouTube.
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Review by: Naomi Joan