Lyrical Muse

Indie-rock’s most evocative new voice, Meg Elsier, revs up for a striking new era with the release of “sportscar [scrapped],” the first single from the upcoming deluxe edition of her acclaimed debut album spittake, due July 25 via Bright Antenna Records.

Sleek yet simmering with emotional weight, “sportscar [scrapped]” glides through shimmering synths, gritty guitars, and a pulsing rhythm that mirrors the inner chaos it captures. What begins in hushed introspection accelerates into a soaring chorus, blending catharsis with confrontation. It’s tailor-made for those late-night drives where you’re chasing clarity and barely outrunning your burnout.

“‘sportscar’ is a really interesting addition to the deluxe, specifically because ‘spittake‘ almost had a completely different identity,” Meg Elsier reveals. “There was a time when I was playing with the idea of naming the album Check Engine Light On. The influence of cars and how they move you through life is something I didn’t realize was so important to ‘spittake’ until after I’d written it.”

Thematically, Meg Elsier leans into the metaphor of a rundown car to explore emotional wear and tear. “It was this thing [my beat-up car gifted by my mother] handed to me that I treated like shit… but that kinda was my life at the time,” she shares. “Something that was shiny and fast, a veneer. But under the hood, it was burning out.”

The track is accompanied by an ambitious theatrical live performance visual directed by Jacq Justice, a longtime collaborator. Drenched in drama and deliberate camp, the performance blurs the lines between stage and story. “Why can’t a fucking rock show be theatre? Why can’t it be camp?” Meg asks. “Why does it have to live in reality to be real?”

With her reputation for poetic self-awareness and sonic experimentation, Meg Elsier continues to carve a lane that’s uniquely hers. As anticipation builds for the 17-track spittake deluxe edition, featuring raw demos, live takes, and emotional B-sides, Elsier hits the road with Liz Cooper, starting tonight in Brooklyn, with stops in Washington D.C., Durham, and Nashville. Buckle up.

Tour dates are listed below and tickets are available here.

Connect with Meg Elsier: Instagram

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