In addition to producing many of the most promising up-and-coming artists in Norway today, Marius Elfstedt has long been penning his own tunes, which finally see the light of day with his newly revealed debut solo album under the moniker Whose Rules. Hasler sees the experimental pop artist polishing up old ideas and introducing new ones with a tight sound palette that leans heavily into the left-of-center alt-pop of the early 2000s, often landing somewhere between The Microphones’ minimal scuzz and The Notwist’s gentle indietronica. Meanwhile, tracks like “Stone” feel like distant Scandinavian cousins to Alex G’s unpredictable output.
Yet when discussing the 10 tracks that make up this release, Elfstedt instead looks to the early-’90s grunge and pop-punk of Nevermind and The Blue Album, sourced here for their melodies and stripped of their punch. Broader still is the subject matter covered in these songs, distilling the young artist’s journey through adulthood—falling in love, hitting rock bottom, experiencing both of these things simultaneously, etc.—down to a tight 32 minutes.
We asked Elfstedt to break the album down track by track, allowing him to offer insight into each of these songs—though ultimately perhaps he poses more questions than he answers (readers may be curious to know who, exactly, is putting strawberry jam on their omelets, while I, personally, would love to see a pic of that Shrek altar). Stream the album below, and read on for his words.
1. “Somber”
“Somber” is based on a super old demo I made many years ago (there’s a video of it on my TikTok if you’re curious). I tried quite a few times to finish it for one project or another, but never got it where I wanted it. But I kept going back to it. Finally after making a couple of tracks for this LP I found a way to get it done.
2. “I Don’t Care”
This is the first track I made for this LP. After a long time with writer's block, this song pops out of nowhere. The dissonant guitar melody reminded me of Weezer's “Undone” and “Say it Ain’t So,” which I thought was dope.
3. “Stone”
Just another sad love song, with stock MIDI drums from Logic Pro. For the music video, Fabio [Enzo] and I spent a long time carving “Stone” on a stone by a hiking trail behind my house.
4. “Slow Down”
Ever felt that time moves by too fast? Yes, you most certainly do! Listen to this song and your joyful moments will last a little bit longer. Fun fact: The demo title for this song was “Sulten.” That means “hungry” in Norwegian.
5. “Floor”
This song is about falling in love while hitting rock bottom. The best and the worst feelings in the world collide at the same time. It's horrible, overwhelming, and wonderful. Just like an omelet with strawberry jam—which I just discovered some people actually eat.
6. “Ease Up”
This is yet another old demo that’s haunted me for many years. I’ve played this riff for as long as I can remember. Finally I found a place for it on this LP. “Ease” is about coping with your problems with different activities. The guy in the song goes to a bar to drink whisky and wine. In my case the bar is a studio, and the drinks are also whisky and wine.
7. “On My Own”
I used to write down what troubles my mind on a piece of paper. And after reading it, I just throw it in the trash. But instead of throwing it away, I made it into a song.
8. “Dead”
This is the second song I made for the LP. I wanted to make a soft grunge song similar to Nirvana’s “Something in the Way.”
9. “Overdue”
“Overdue” is about when I lived in Oslo with two friends. We had a nickname for the apartment, which was “The Swamp.” We also had a Shrek altar in the fireplace.
10. “Excuses”
The last song I made for this LP.
