Meg Elsier X Fresh Off The Scene
Interview by Jupiter Schuchart and photos by @jacq_justice
What's the story behind the album's title track?
I like to think of “spittake" as an honest warning label before the record really begins. It’s just a little reminder to call out bullshit when you see it. My whole thought process while writing this song was just rotting away in the concept of “I am nothing but a joke for the universe,” and I just wanted to personify that and try and have a conversation with that thought.
What was the most difficult part about creating an album compared to your past releases?
I actually don’t really know!!! I’ve never released anything besides this record, so I have nothing to compare it with! But I would say I have recorded and created before and never felt confident enough in it to feel comfortable sharing. When I reflect back, it was a mixture of not feeling super seen in the music I was making at the time and also feeling afraid and not ready to truly let go and share with others. So, I actually think that maybe the process of creating and recording this album was a lot less difficult than in the past. I just knew what I wanted to say and felt confident working and exploring with Ryan McFadden, (my producer).
If you had to tattoo one lyric from spittake on yourself, what would it be?
OOOOOOOOOOOOOoOooOooOOoO!!!! I feel like I have a handful of lyrics that would make fun tattoos, but which one I would choose is a different story. I really think “I talk dirty, but I keep the house clean” (“forlyleinsanfrancisco”) would be sexy and killer and cute. I’d split it up and have it on the back of my legs or something. I also love “I feel a little bit guilty” from “iznotreal.” Also, I love the imagery of “a dog, a cigar and religion”(“youngestchild”) because it reminds me of my own little version of Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”
Which song did you enjoy the most writing, which song did you enjoy the least writing and why?
For the song, I enjoyed writing the least… I don’t know if this counts, but there was a version of “spittake" that I wrote out into a 4-minute+ song and that just was horrific. I think I was pushing something that really didn’t need to happen, but for some reason, I just had this weird thing in my head saying it couldn’t JUST be 1 minute long. But I got over that very quickly and realized that “spittake" was only meant to be that tiny moment.
In terms of the songs I enjoyed making the most, I truly loved the creation process for all of the songs! I feel like a common denominator throughout the album for me is that all of these songs were so important to me when I was writing them. They each represent an “aha” moment where I kind of became aware of what I was feeling or what I wanted to say. And that moment is such a beautiful break from the frustration of feeling so much and having no idea what's going on.
“forlyleinsanfrancisco" was incredibly fun to write and a completely different experience for me - I came to Ryan with the song complete (or so I thought), and then he suggested we speed it up a SHIT TON and add another verse. So while recording the demo with Ryan, I wound up writing the word-vomit spiraling last verse in the most uncomfortable position, in the most comfortable chair, in 20 minutes, because he wanted me to try it. And now I truly can’t imagine the song without that. It was a nice, fateful moment after the song had been “written”.
What inspired you the most during the process of writing this album and why?
spittake was created from little moments happening in my life. Each song is me trying to sort some things out or trying to put words to feelings that I couldn’t even begin to name. So it’s more like life inspired it? There was no intention besides figuring out what I was feeling and what felt right to me. So maybe the inspiration is just how I was living. Trying to remain present and trying to sort things out.
If spittake was an outfit what would it look like?
OH MAhH GoOAahHhDDD!!! I feel like I have to linger on this for YEARS to figure out what the spittake outfit is. I feel like I’m gonna flip-flop between two types of 'fits. One would be a very naked, simple, delicate outfit. Just something raw with flesh colors and raw materials. Honestly, I think I’m probably describing getting out of the shower with a towel wrapped around you. Hair is wet. Body soaked and dripping and red because I take BOILING hot showers.
The next outfit I can see is like a vomit of power-clashing monstrosity. Like, take every costume we had for all the videos and photos for spittake and combine them all into one outfit. Just overwhelmed with options and anxiety of expression. Trying to be anyone and anything.
If spittake was a perfume what would the scent notes smell like?
Omg… anything that won’t give me a migraine! Honestly, I think it would be similar to the outfit question. I personally will wear multiple scents. So I think it would be a blend of something nostalgic and light and then you’d get PUNTED with something smokey and spicy.
Now that you've completed your debut album, how do you see your music evolving in the future?
I just see it changing and growing with me! I’m constantly writing and really thinking about the next project and have noticed how inspired I am by spittake sonically and how that kind of informs the direction I want to go in moving forward. The next album I’ve been working on is in no way the same as spittake, but I think you’ll be able to tell that it’s informed by the inspirations I found during and after the process. I have so many alleyways I want to explore sonically, so I think the future will just be me naturally losing and finding myself in one of those sounds.
