After releasing four albums about vampires, video games, spiders and robots, songwriter Eric Elbogen decided to get serious. The multi-instrumentalist moved from Brooklyn to Seattle and produced a lush new collection of introspective songs called The Wishes and the Glitch. He also shortened his long-held band name from "Say Hi to Your Mom" to just "Say Hi."
The Wishes and the Glitch still contains Elbogen's quirky sense of humor, but titles like "Shakes Her Shoulders", "Back Before We Were Brittle", and "Zero to Love" aim at more personal themes about complicated relationships. Vintage keyboards oscillate giving an added depth to catchy hooks and slightly gloomy lines. Nouela Johnston joins Elbogen for some smooth backing vocals on the first track "Northwestern Girls".
As with his earlier recordings, Elbogen recorded the album in his home and played most of the instruments, with guest vocals by The Long Winters' John Roderick and Pedro the Lion / Headphones' David Bazan. Elbogen released The Wishes and the Glitch on his own label, Euphobia Records.
In describing the music of Say Hi, Elbogen says "we're the mumbling in your head while you're crunching the numbers. We're the apparitions, ticks, gut wrenching, suspicion and glee, too. We're the reason you rolled a nineteen for charisma, the cat's meow, your least favorite aunt."
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