Back in February, Northern California-born, Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter Meg Lui was announced as the latest artist to join Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty Records. That news came packaged with her debut single "Gone Girl." Today, she's released a new single "Elvis Queen," which announces her forthcoming debut album Instant Validation.
"Elvis Queen" is a jaunty, at times tender folk-rock jam. The sentimental song was written for her Elvis-loving aunt. "The sweet reveries/ The blurred memories/ Are we bound to the earth realm/ To return to the great helm/ To the worms or the pyre forever," goes one beautiful verse, unearthing the deep undertones at play lyrically.
“This song is about my aunt, who was a huge Elvis fan," Lui explains. "At first, it was a very slow, sentimental song, but we sped it up for the final version — she was a very joyful person, so it made sense for it to feel a little bit like a party.”
You can also hear the soft backing vocals from Stevens, who produced the entire album and is featured on most of the songs. The song also features Liam Kazar on guitar and backing vocals, Chris Holdridge on drums, and David Lizmi on bass.
Instant Validation includes additional contributions from Lui's Hudson Valley, NY, musical community, including: Hannah Cohen (backing vocals), Sam Evian (alto sax), Keenan O’Meara (production, guitar, and vocals), and Olivier Manchon (violin and viola). Stevens engineered and also played nearly all the other instruments on the album, which they recorded in his studio. Watch the video for "Elvis Queen" below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Gone Girl"
02 "Elvis Queen"
03 "Roadkill"
04 "Dreams"
05 "Are You Out There (Crimson & Clover)"
06 "Instant Validation"
07 "Miss Queen Know It All"
08 "Andromeda"
09 "Monumental"
10 "Time Thief"
11 "Formation (Of Me)"
12 "Bluebird"
Instant Validation is out 9/25 via Asthmatic Kitty. Pre-order here.
