Meg Lui has announced that her debut album Instant Validation, produced by Sufjan Stevens, will be released on September, 25, via Asthmatic Kitty Records. She has also shared lead single ‘Elvis Queen,’ a rapturous, sprawling reflection on the passing of her beloved aunt. “This song is about my aunt who was a huge Elvis fan,” Lui explains of the track, out now alongside a Joe Raffanti-directed video. “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.”
‘Elvis Queen’ also features Stevens as well as Liam Kazar on backing vocals, and follows ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Dreams’ (The Cranberries cover) – album tracks released as singles earlier this year. Instant Validation includes additional contributions from her Hudson Valley, NY, musical community, including: Hannah Cohen (backing vocals); David Lizmi (bass); Sam Evian (alto sax); Chris Holdridge (drums); 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. Instant Validation is now available for preorder.
On Instant Validation, Northern California-born Lui shares an up-close glimpse into the magnificently curious wonderland of her mind, offering up a batch of songs both rooted in raw emotion and inhabited by a fantastically surreal cast of characters: anthropomorphic flowers, sea monsters, Elvis Presley, the ill-fated lovers of ancient Greek myths. The album marries her intimate songwriting with an extravagantly detailed sound anchored in her warm yet commanding voice—an instrument she’s wielded to glorious effect in singing background vocals on acclaimed releases like Stevens’ Javelin and John Legend’s My Favorite Dream. As Lui’s first full-length project after years of musical soul-searching, Instant Validation ultimately presents a beautifully lived-in look at building a meaningful life amid the chaos of the modern era.
Instant Validation:
- Gone Girl
- Elvis Queen
- Roadkill
- Dreams
- Are You Out There (crimson & clover)
- Instant Validation
- Miss Queen Know It All
- Andromeda
- Monumental
- Time Thief
- Formation (of me)
- Bluebird
