As the story goes, the Werewolf Diskdrive, a hard drive, was found in an electronics shop of the same name and is a sentient being who simply wants to create rap music – but you can read the full four chapters on its Medium page. The person behind it all? Eric Elbogen, formerly of Say Hi and Say Hi To Your Mom.

Under the moniker Werewolf Diskdrive, Elbogen released a self-titled album on Friday, October 27. As a friend of mine so eloquently points out in the below tweet, Elbogen is nothing if not consistent in his naming system. His music, however, is not so predictable.

The first song is – you guessed it – “Werewolf Diskdrive.” It’s a two-second palate cleanser, preparing you for the abnormal tracks ahead and completing the meta naming system. The album is surprisingly angular and unusually futuristic, a sharp change from Elbogen’s previous releases with Say Hi.

“Werewolf Diskdrive” is weirdly catchy anyway, with unsettling distortion and plenty of physically low, resonating tones that force the music into your chest. “Crunchy” is indeed crispy and bitter like dark coffee with speak-singing vocals, and “Beepers & Beepers” is rhythmically pleasing with both lyrics (“Keep beeping and beeping”) and runs of synth.

At times, “Werewolf Diskdrive” is disconcerting, but maybe that’s the point. Elbogen critiques American society throughout the album, but standout tracks are “Kids Today (We Can’t Decide)” and “Gridlock.” The former fits the popular “generational gap” trope, especially in the chorus (“Kids today, we can’t decide/kids today, we can’t decide/won’t you make our minds up for us please?”). The latter, complete with plenty of twisted sounds, focuses on dystopian lyrics like, “But at least we’re not on fire/Oops, I guess we are!” and “We want to rent apartments/and furnish them with memories/but oops, we waited too long/and now they’re 25k.”

However, Elbogen is not always so serious. The second track and first single, “Hamburgers & Hotdogs,” may have another criticism buried within the repetitive, rhythmic lyrics, but on the surface, it seems to be a humorously catchy song about food.

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Art courtesy of Werewolf Diskdrive.

“Werewolf Diskdrive” is a far cry from the gorgeously smooth synthpop of Say Hi, but the change is not necessarily a bad thing. The sharp, unusual music is pulled off well, not sounding contrived or like Elbogen is trying too hard. It’s deliciously low and bitter, inserting a smooth social commentary when you’re not looking, and it definitely shows promise for the latest chapter in Elbogen’s music career.

Originally published on Indientry on October 29, 2017. 

Note: This article was updated on May 17, 2020, to include appropriate album art credit.