Memphis native Alex Nicholls goes by his project name Elf Rage. The New Year was dropped a few days before the calendar flipped, but the record wasn’t released in it’s intended form, as computer problems only left Nicholls with the rough cuts.

The album’s lo-fi slack-pop number “Everyone You Love is Dead” is built on a rickety pattern and noodly guitars. Blanched with melancholy, Nicholls’ deadpan vocals meld with the jazzy pop instrumentation. Albeit the morbid title, the track is a slack cruiser.

Cereal Pairing: Shredded Wheat