Meg Elsier discusses her new album and plans for the future

Posted On June 26, 2024June 26, 2024

As she approaches the release of her debut album, spittake, Nashville-based indie rocker Meg Elsier is energised and enthusiastic. In a recent video call, we linked arms across the Atlantic to discuss new music, upcoming tours and long-term goals. Elsier noted lethargy from a photo shoot the previous day, but it certainly didn’t show. As any young artist should be, she was quick with an answer, glowing with optimism and yearning for the open road.

Elsier’s new album, arriving on June 28th, marries angular indie rock structures with a discordant shoegaze lens that blurs the lines on a beautiful sonic canvas. She prospers throughout from the juxtaposition between industrial guitars and her comparatively mellifluous, colourful vocal presence. These carefully constructed songs began life several years ago as stripped-back guitar demos.

“Recording and writing it was so different and kind of happened at two different points,” Elsier revealed. She admitted that she could only speak from her limited experience in the studio, which involved fine-tuning demos with more prominent lead vocals and discerning textures. “I had a lot of demos that I made that were vocal and guitar. I would logic pitch my guitar, which sounded horrible, but it kind of gave it some form.”

Elsier studied music at school and, with a foundational understanding of most common instruments, she could create layered demos on her computer, using her drums in places. Although the effects at her disposal sounded “horrible”, it gave her producer, Ryan McFadden, a “basic structure” and a rough idea of her vision. “Ryan, who’s my producer, is also a really good friend,” she added. “I knew him before we made music together.”

Collaborating with a close friend on spittake was crucial for Elsier since she wasn’t entirely confident entering the studio. “It just felt immediately natural and the best fit,” she said. “Not that I have a lot of experience with collaborating. I think that’s why I kind of put off making a record because it’s scary and horrible, and I wasn’t comfortable with it. So yeah, I just got lucky I found the right dude to make music with.”

Producers can often overcontribute, thus spoiling an artist’s vision, or conversely, lack originality, rendering their work banal or, worse, poorly composed. Elsier noted a fine balance in her experience working with McFadden, who had plenty of ideas but wanted to bring out the best in her vision. “I’ve never met a producer who truly, in his heart … his intention was to make it sound like me,” she commended. “He added so much to it, but he made me feel like I still had all of the control even though obviously you’re giving stuff up to make it sound better.”

Elsier revealed that much of McFadden’s creative influence came from his diverse passion for music. He often introduced her to artists she hadn’t heard before, passively offering a new route for a given track. “We really collaborated on where we were at the time and what our tastes were,” she continued. “We were kind of like showing each other… he’d be like ‘My Bloody Valentine rocks right now; listen to that!’”

While Elsier was reticent to explore other vocal artists’ work due to “jealousy,” she would suggest some instrumental influences in return. “I can’t listen to music with voices at all,” she admitted. “I was just getting jealous of hearing a very great … like someone who just really gives it their all. So, all of my references were like, ‘Have you seen Blade Runner? Have you heard that soundtrack?’”

With Elsier’s guidelines, McFadden “painted” the album’s “backdrop”, ensuring frequent consultation for the most agreeable product. By all accounts, Elsier is extremely proud of her work and excited to share it with her small yet growing fanbase. Although she describes the new material as reflective and “selfish”, she hopes her fans can relate to the emotions explored and find common ground in creative catharsis. 

“I felt really slightly alone in my feelings or didn’t know how to explain it. So I made it to feel better,” Elsier said of her reflective material. “I just wanted to feel like I wasn’t alone. I think every emotion is completely valid as long as you’re not hurting someone through it. I feel like this album really goes through the emotion of being really into yourself and then hating yourself and then feeling really sad and then really depressed but manically up.”

Elsier identified ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’ as one of the songs on the album that taps into manic highs amid longer patches of depression. It is a poignant highlight, but no song on the album compares to ‘saturdaymorning’ in her eyes. The track “‘saturday’ is so deep that I don’t even like to talk about it that much,” she revealed. “But she’s very important. She’s definitely the oldest song on it.” Elsier also offered ‘spittake’ as a more recent highlight. “I brought it to Ryan as that minute clip.” It was initially a throwaway, but McFadden helped build the song out into a five-minute collaborative effort of which she’s now very proud. 

In November, Elsier sets off on her first tour of North America. Starting in Detroit on November 6th, the dates run for eight shows through to November 15th, when she performs a showstopper in Pittsburgh. Her overriding emotion as she prepares is one of unfettered excitement, even if she has some mild apprehension about the physical demands of the stage. “My friend who tours a lot was like, ‘You’re gonna need to start running and singing, and you’re gonna need to exercise.’ I’m like, ‘I may just smoke a cigarette and run around a little bit,’” she said of the forthcoming tour dates. “I am nervous about that because I’m so used to singing once a week. It’s gonna be challenging, but maybe I’ll get a raspy tone that I absolutely adore.”

As for the five-year plan, Elsier’s outlook very much depends on the reaction to spittake and the supporting shows. She hopes to be able to bring her sound to as many people as possible and tour the world if chance permits. Though, her only aim is to connect with her biggest fan, whomever that may be. “I just want to play cool venues that I like, with cool people and make records,” she mused. “I would like it if anyone finds it special. If one person fucking likes it… I know that’s corny, but yeah, I’m satisfied with that. That’s the goal.”

Meg Elsier will perform two shows in Nashville, one in July and one in October, in preparation for her North American tour. You can find further information and access tickets here.

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