Earlier this year, Nashville-based indie-rock artist meg elsier released her debut album spittake to critical acclaim. However, the talented singer-songwriter still had more to say. She announced the deluxe version of spittake (out July 25th) with an impressive lead single, “sportscar [scrapped].” elsier accompanied the song’s rollout with haunting, theatrical visuals and even a sportscar-themed game upon entering her website. Both of these mediums serve to bolster the song in listener’s memories, and highlight elsier’s ambition and playfulness. 
The song “sportscar [scrapped]” is a tiny triumph in itself. Seemingly straightforward lyrics hint at deeper emotional turmoil, tied with growth from family’s passed-down patterns. A bildungsroman of a song, “sportscar [scrapped]” captures the growing pains of a young woman coming into her own. “I have a sportscar, it’s falling apart nicely … and I haven’t worked too hard to keep it going,” she sings in the first verse. In a quote provided by Tallulah PR + Management, elsier elaborates on her lyrics: "I was really identifying with my beat-up car my mother gave me. It was this thing handed to me that I treated like shit… But that kinda was my life at the time. Something that was shiny and fast, a veneer; but if you checked under the hood, it was burning out. The oil was dark, and the engine was smoking. I would dye my hair (new paint job), get dolled up (took her to the car wash), and perform so well socially when I went out (that V8 engine purring, baby), but that was all it was. I had a coming-to moment like, ‘This isn’t sustainable and I’m about to crash out.'"
Of course, lyrics don’t make up a song alone — the sounds of “sportscar [deluxe]” are shimmering (like the “veneer” elsier spoke of) and nostalgic (playing into coming-of-age themes). Grungy guitar underlies the smooth pads and background vocals, alluding to the turmoil beneath the shiny veneer. Instrumentation and production by Ryan McFadden expertly work in tandem with the song’s emotional truth. “sportscar [scrapped]” is an extremely promising lead single to spittake (deluxe), with emotional resonance and truly catchy melodies. You can listen to “sportscar [scrapped]” here(available on all streaming platforms), and preorder spittake (deluxe) here
- Jules Krueger

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