Shrunken Elvis, by Shrunken Elvis

Shrunken Elvis

by Shrunken Elvis

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MDonaldson → "The music that the trio produces can oftentimes defy definition; one description that came to mind was if the 'lo-fi beats to relax and study to' girl were working toward a degree in mushroom horticulture."

Check out our interview with Spencer Cullum of Shrunken Elvis on The Tonearm ✨ → www.thetonearm.com/pedal-steel-to-the-pastoral-shrunken-elvis-nashville-dreams/ Favorite track: Marina Pt. 2.

Willicent The record transcends its inspirations, reshaping familiar sounds into something wholly original. It’s less a mirror of its influences than a prism — refracting them into dazzling, unfamiliar colors. Favorite track: Eggs on Plastic.

AMS easily one of the best albums of the year. these guys play perfectly off of one another. total bliss from beginning to end. Favorite track: A Broken Cat.

pablomustard One of the most exciting trios of musicians making sound today Favorite track: An Old Outlet.

newcommute Their lush, crystalline tracks weave a spellbinding, out-of-body vibe, pulling you into a dazzling vortex of soaring beauty and sci-fi swagger. Favorite track: Marina Pt. 2.

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1.	That There's a Strategy 02:56	buy track
2.	Marina Pt. 2 07:09	buy track
3.	Mu Receptors 03:12	buy track
4.	K-House 06:01	buy track
5.	Eggs on Plastic 03:30	buy track
6.	An Old Outlet 07:50	buy track
7.	Sun Pillar 03:27	buy track
8.	Faint Rustle 04:18	buy track
9.	A Broken Cat 02:44	buy track

about

Shrunken Elvis is a Nashville-based trio born from long European drives, cold winter jam sessions, and a mutual love of genre-defying sound exploration. The group unites three seasoned musicians—Spencer Cullum, Sean Thompson, and Rich Ruth—each bringing a distinct musical background to a shared creative space that prizes intuition over ambition.

Cullum, a pedal steel guitarist originally from East London, has recorded with artists like Angel Olsen, Lambchop, Miranda Lambert, and Billy Strings, while also releasing two solo LPs of folk-psych compositions on UK label Full Time Hobby. Thompson, a Nashville native, emerged from the city’s DIY scene playing in his first band Gnarwhal, and later helping to form other bands including Promised Land Sound. He's toured and recorded with Margo Price, Skyway Man, Erin Rae, and others. Known for his immersive solo project Rich Ruth (Third Man Records), Michael Ruth blends spiritual jazz, ambient, and synth-infused post-rock into meditative and expansive compositions.

Now all based in Nashville, the trio thrives within the city’s supportive and exploratory music community. That environment has allowed them to forge a path that veers from Music City’s more traditional output, offering space to experiment and innovate freely.

The group’s origins trace back to a 2022 European tour behind Cullum’s solo record. Long drives crammed into a VW Passat—traversing Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the UK, and Ireland—fostered a kind of creative incubator. With no fixed plans or agenda, the trio began crafting compositions using their compact tour setup of two guitars, pedal steel, and synths. Their shared listening experiences on those journeys helped shape a collective sonic language, one that transitioned seamlessly into winter recording sessions back in Nashville. Gathered around a small fire heater in a shed studio, they captured that same spirit of spontaneity and collaboration in sound.

Recording their debut album presented a unique challenge: to preserve the energy of their live three-piece dynamic without over-cluttering the arrangements. Their goal wasn’t to make an instrumental album that highlights individual prowess on pedal steel or guitar—but rather to construct a musical terrain where all elements coexist, each voice contributing to something entirely new. Embracing a philosophy of “no goals, just ideas,” the group let the music unfold naturally.

Shrunken Elvis’s music exists in a naive, open-ended state—unconcerned with outcome but guided by deeply honed instincts. IIt’s driven by their collective love for instrumental music across genres such as kosmische, jazz fusion, electronic, and ambient. Having spent much of their careers as side musicians, this project represents a rare opportunity to create purely for the sake of collaboration and curiosity. Influences range from Alice Coltrane, Michael Rother, and Pat Metheny to KLF, Ashra, and Can—along with visual and cinematic touchstones like ECM album art, Kurosawa, and Bergman. Ideas often emerged in old English pubs on tour and were carried into the studio with quiet urgency.

Mixed by Jake Davis (William Tyler) and featuring cover art by UK psych-folk artist Max Kinghorn-Mills (Hollow Hand), the debut Shrunken Elvis record is music made without expectation—but full of purpose. It’s the music they’ve always wanted to make: immersive, intuitive, and deeply alive.

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released September 5, 2025

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