Box Elders is the brainchild of brothers Clayton and Jeremiah McIntyre, who began making music in Friday night goof-off sessions that originally featured their mum on drums. Adopting a name from the bugs that infested their house, they started gigging around Omaha, Nebraska, and soon added drummer Dave Goldberg, who signed on after catching the band at a free performance in a local park. Rather than search for a fourth band member, the McIntyres suggested Goldberg play both drums and organ simultaneously. It took some practice. In January 2008, Box Elders released their debut 7-inch and spent much of the year touring the USA. The fuzzy, off-kilter pop of the record caught the attention of Memphis, Tennessee's Goner Records and earned them a slot at the label's annual music festival, Goner Fest, as well as a spot on the Goner roster, alongside acts ranging from Guitar Wolf and Jay Reatard to Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Ty Segall, and Reigning Sound.