Today, New England-born and Nashville-based artist Meg Elsier has shared her latest alt-pop anthem ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’.
The track is a potent blend of all the elements that make her music so exciting and interesting. Fuelled by her direct lyrics and clear vocals, underscored by gritty riffs and energetic beats, and accompanied by a chaotically fun video; ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’ simultaneously celebrates everything that Meg is, whilst lamenting everything she wishes she could be.
When we meet over Zoom to chat about her new release, she tells me she has been snowed in for three days, which is not normal for residents of Nashville at this time of year. Luckily, she has her cat, Oakley, for company. Meg describes her as “a really sweet girl, but she’s also a killer” as Oakley comedically interrupts our chat at different points. With respect, the same could be said for Meg herself. She is generous with her answers to my questions and earnest about her passion for her art, but she also has a palpable determination and grit when it comes to talking about how it is presented.
Read on to find out more about the alt-pop artist’s early music inspirations, what excites her about her new single, her recommendations from her local music scene in Nashville, and what listeners can expect from her debut album, spittake, which is set for release later this year…
What are your earliest memories of listening to music, or becoming interested in music?
I didn’t really grow up in a musical household. We had a piano that my Mum used to play, but I don’t remember her playing it at all when I was younger. So we had the tools around the house, but nobody did it, besides me, because I wanted to make a lot of noise and be annoying!
Growing up, I went to a lot of Broadway shows, because my Grandma would get us tickets. That was a huge intro [to the idea] of “I wanna dance around with costumes and sing songs. That looks great!” Then it was The Beatles. That was the first record that my parents played and I was like “everything’s different now,” and Queen too. Freddie Mercury was my first crush!
That’s an eclectic range of influences and a great first crush. Your music has been described as “inhabiting the space between folk, indie-pop, and alternative music,” but how would you describe your own sound?
Maybe it’s not the best word [for it], but I consider my music slightly paradoxical. One of my favourite things in music is when you have a really soft element – whether it’s the words that you’re saying, or it’s the voice that’s projecting them – then you just plough through it with this aggression. Because it’s kind of like a facade that people put on. I sing soft, and I like that. But I also love a grungy, gritted out guitar. So I just try to find what feels like me. I like different things and I like combining them. It feels natural to me.
Your new single ‘forlyleinsanfrancisco’, is a great example of this. It’s inspired by a trip you took to visit a friend in San Francisco, and how afterwards, you wished you could “linger in a moment” fully and commit to that feeling. Can you elaborate on that?
I took my time making this song and it is kind of precious to me.
It’s a huge aspect of having this state of mind and being really impulsive, and that being your identity for that moment. So when I’m sad, I am sad – that is who I am. I really identify with it, which maybe isn’t the best thing – which is also [addressed] in the song. But it’s also about the opposite and how fast you can be like “ohhh never mind!” and not committed to being sad at all. It’s the weird push-and-pull of that, and realising or having this feeling in your stomach about how weird it is that something can feel so true in one moment, and then very quickly not be. It’s about that displacement and lack of trust in yourself.
The accompanying video for the single looks like it was a lot of fun to make. Talk us more about the shoot…
It was so fun. It came together in three days, in total, which started with me texting my friend Roberto, who is also the director. We really like hyper-pop DJs, creating projections and digital art. We wanted that kind of thing, but with all of our friends involved. So we texted all of our friends and were like “I’ll have some beers, a bottle of tequila, some snacks and some really good music…”
With this song, when I play it live, all of my friends go crazy and it’s the greatest feeling. You can get moshy for it for kind of no reason and it’s great. So I wanted to bring the energy of the live show to this video, because the other videos we’ve made are so thought out – which I absolutely love – but with this one it was kind of fun to be impulsive and show the energy that we have when we play live.
Your visuals for your previous singles ‘ifshitfuq’ and ‘iznotreal’ are also very cool. Can you tell us a bit more about concepts behind them?
When it came to making my album, spittake, I recorded all of the demos by myself. So I kind of know that world and I really love it.
It was Jacqueline Justice who produced them, and myself and Mary Violet who basically creative directed these videos. It was a world that I’ve never been in before, and it was so stressful, but I loved it, because I loved having people that I trusted with my vision. I trusted their creativity, and also having control over things that you [often] don’t have control over in this industry. I just really wanted to be like “I’m going to be portrayed in a certain way, I want to be in charge of the narrative and what I’m wearing.” These ideas and concepts were great and I had so much fun. I loved doing that.
We shot these videos consecutively, we had no days off in between. ‘iftshitfuq’ was first and ‘iznotreal’ was on day two. We were all absolutely delirious, which is why I find it so funny that the video kind of came out in the way that it did. I was like “how did this come from like, 10 people taking a smoke break and being over-caffeinated?” The editing is amazing.
There are behind the scenes shots of me laying on the ground, with people chain-smoking cigarettes over there, other people chugging coffee being like “I’m gonna go get a vape” – it was the most ridiculous hang out.
It sounds like you had a blast. These tracks will feature on your upcoming debut album, spittake, which is set for release in March. What are you most proud of about this record?
My favourite type of music artist is when you can tell that they’re being totally authentic. Like, even if they did try to hide it, they just couldn’t. That’s the music that I like and the music that I want to make.
This record took a while to make and a while for me to release. There’s something that I learned [in the process] about letting go of things that are precious and trusting in yourself. I took a while to figure out what I wanted to sound like. I wanted to figure out something that felt sustainable to me, that I wasn’t faking. This was the first time that I the sound really felt like me. That’s something that I haven’t had before. So to have this record be different parts of my personality, I’m really proud of that, and that I got to reflect that in it too.
We can’t wait to hear spittake in full!
Finally, as we’re a new music blog, we always ask for recommendations. Who or what are you listening to right now?
The new Oneohtrix Point Never song ‘A Barely Lit Path’ makes me feel amazing. It gets so choppy, I love it. I went to New York for about a week from the end of December to January, and this was just the best walking around, zoning-out-listening-to-music in the city song.
I’ve also made playlists for my friends, and they’re like “I’m so sorry, I can’t listen to that” even though it’s so perfect! Like, one of the songs on these playlists is from Saltburn, – Mason vs Princess Superstar ‘Perfect (Exceeder)’ – I can’t get it out of my head and it’s so embarrassing. It’s such a strut song where you feel cool, but everybody looking at you is thinking “why are you walking like that?”
When it comes to Nashville bands, Snõõper are incredible. They’re so DIY, They make these puppets and their shows are amazing. My friend Wilby is one of my favourite writers and singers too, for sure.
New York and LA are amazing and they have such incredible music scenes there, but Nashville gets overlooked when it comes to the not-country scene. I think the music that isn’t in that genre, because that scene is so much smaller, the community is so supportive and amazing, and the music coming out of it is so different and inspiring. I’m from the East Coast, and I love that, but there is something so special about playing music in a place that isn’t really known for that kind of music. Like, it’s tough, but it’s rewarding for sure.
Follow Meg Elsier on Spotify, Instagram & Facebook
Photo Credit: Emily Moses
Styling: Tay Sorrell for @shoptoro.xyz
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