After its release on June 28th, 2024, meg elsier’s debut album spittake positioned the artist as one of the most enthralling new voices of the indie rock genre. Composed of eleven enticing songs and visceral lyricism, the record stands as an emotional rollercoaster breaking its way through the music industry—and successfully proving that its future is oh so very bright.
A year later, elsier returns with an extended version of her debut album—one that shows her most vulnerable side: raw, imperfect and unfinished. And one that complements her musical essence altogether.
PHOTO: JACQ JUSTICE
Elsier’s spittake was already an incredibly torrid record and the deluxe version only emphasizes the singer’s susceptibility. Every lyric cuts through a rough surface and opens up deep wounds—but also helps them scar. Listening to spittake feels like the takeoff of a plane: rocky and abrupt at first, with very blunt melodies and forthright words accompanying the grungy, heavy sounds. Then, suddenly, it’s swift and placid—sweet on the tip of your tongue, sour on the back of your throat.
The deluxe version includes five additional tracks that deepen the context of the record, featuring previously scrapped songs, demos and live recordings. If songs like “forlyleinsanfracisco” and “LA” were already charged with emotion, the switch between the heavily produced versions to the stripped-down renditions with only meg’s vocals, harmonies and the simplicity of the guitar, makes them even more heartfelt.
If there is one thing to be said about a demo, it’s that it might somehow carry more weight than the final version. Before there was an album—or even just the idea of one—there were first recordings. These are the bones of a record: what gives it structure and leads the way to a final product. In her Instagram post announcing the release, elsier writes: “This deluxe is a conscious decision to show vulnerability and the process. I don’t know why that was so important to me but it was. Or it is. To build a foundation of little vulnerable moments that were never meant to be seen by anyone specific.”
Elsier opening this door to her audience feels intimate and rewarding—the fans get to see a an unpolished, flawed version of the singer. And fall in love with this version of her.