Lo-fi indie pop band Say Hi used to be known as Say Hi to Your Mom. It also used to based in Brooklyn and now it's found in Seattle. Regardless, the man behind the band is Eric Elbogen, who records the songs at home, playing all the instruments, providing most of the vocals (except for the occasional guest artist), and even mixing the tracks his own damn self. His last album (pre-name change), Impeccable Blahs, was mostly about vampires, though Star Trek got a shoutout too. Now the band's in version 2.0 with a truncated moniker and new album The Wishes and the Glitch, which has a decidedly (*cringe*) more mature sound. Say Hi plays Chop Suey this Thursday, along with Battle Hymns and Siberian (9pm, all ages, $8). We spoke to Eric about getting older, living and playing in Seattle, and being on the low rung of the Sasquatch ladder.

We'll just skip right over the requisite question as to why you changed your band name. So instead: On the new album, no songs about robots or Buffy or Star Trek?

I wanted to take a break from that, and I still haven’t figured out if that’s going to be a permanent break. I sorta wanted to make a record that took itself a bit more seriously, but not too seriously.

Do you think that had anything to do with your move here?

That was part of it. The move was a big thing for me, and I turned 30 in between the last record and this new record…. That’s actually how the name change fit into the equation as well. It seemed an appropriate time to start Say Hi, Chapter 2, and I very much treat this new record as the beginning of that.

So how’s Seattle treating you?

It’s great. I really love it here. We actually just got back from five and a half weeks on tour, so I’m reacclimating myself to Seattle. It was a bit confusing to come back. Yesterday was a beautiful day, but today the clouds and the rain are back out. Last time we were on tour at this time of year, we left and it was freezing and raining, but we got back and everything had bloomed and it was really beautiful, and I was hoping that would be the case this time as well.

Are you looking forward to playing Sasquatch?

It’s really cool and I’m just excited about that in general. I’ve been doing this long enough to realize that whatever low-level backstage pass we’ll have will completely separate us from the really big bands that are playing. I think we’re the second band to play on that day on the smallest stage, so it’s quite different than being named the support to Flaming Lips or Built to Spill. Still, it’s very exciting. I haven’t been to a Sasquatch yet, but the lineup every year made it something that I always wanted to do. I haven’t even been to the Gorge yet. We’ve driven by it many times, just on tour, but I actually have never seen a show there, but I hear it’s really beautiful.

Do you find it difficult to transition from the albums, where it’s mostly just you playing everything to playing live with other musicians and friends?

They’re really two completely different things for me; I can’t imagine two more different things, just in terms of the process of making a record and going out and playing live. I’m most comfortable at home making records, and you know, gearing up to go on a big long tour is always kinda a difficult thing for me. I very much don’t enjoy rehearsing every day for two months, but it’s a necessity before you start touring. These days, I’d much rather be at home reading or watching cable than waiting around a dirty rock club to go on at 12 or 1am. But for those 45 minutes or an hour where we do get to play, it’s exciting, especially when people are really into it, and you can see it in their eyes.

Who’s playing in your touring band right now?

For this tour, we’re just a duo, with Westin Glass, who’s been playing drums with me for a while. And then there’s a bunch of computerized synths playing along with us.

Any chance that some of the guests on the album would show up at the show this week?

I think Dave [Bazan] has a show out of town. I don’t know about John [Roderick]. If they’re there and they’re into it, great, but I wouldn’t want to get your hopes up.

The new album is reminiscent of Pedro the Lion and Headphones and Dave’s other bands, even in the quality and timbre of your voice.

Well, I’ve been a fan of Dave’s work for a while. And one of the differences with this record is that I made an effort to do a lot more singing from the gut, instead of the whisper-singing I did on the other records. And that’s sort of Dave’s thing.

Seen any good shows lately?

This tour we just did was a big mish-mash. We didn’t have the same support for the whole tour, but we did end up doing a bunch of dates with a band called The Big Sleep. They’re just awesome and they totally rocked harder than I could ever imagine.

Seattle’s so remote—obviously Seattle is a huge city, and both Seattle and Portland are big music towns—but there are those bands who have agents who just don’t book them here because it’s such a trek. To get out here and play in Seattle and Portland, at some point, you’re doing a three-day drive to Minneapolis. But The Big Sleep are great; hopefully they’ll make it out here soon.

Any other plans?

We’ve got Seattle and Portland shows coming up, which is weird because we have a week and a half off between when we finish the main body of the tour and then those shows. I feel like I’m home, but I’m also looking forward to those shows. We don’t have anything else booked right now (besides Sasquatch), we’re still figuring out what we’re going to do over the summer and the fall. We might be going to Europe towards the end of the summer.