LA Indie Artist meija Shares New Track w/ Hand Habits; Announces Sophomore Album Feat. EELS, JAWNY, Hand Habits

Today, meija announces his sophomore album, There’s Always Something, which will be released on October 25th. A frequent collaborator, the album includes his recent singles “MAGIC” featuring JAWNY, “POSSUM” featuring iconic indie rock band EELS, and his new single, “SEVEN,” out today, featuring indie tastemaker Hand Habits. For meija, the alt-rock moniker of Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Jamie Sierota, the new record is a creative and personal evolution that effortlessly elevates his DIY aesthetic and leans harder into ‘90s alternative influences, from the aforementioned Eels to Sparklehorse to Beck and Primal Scream, plus draws lyrical inspiration from stories in Greek mythology like The Odyssey and Sisyphus. The album was recorded and produced by Sierota in his home studio on the east side of Los Angeles.

This record ended up being much more internal than the previous one.” Jamie says. “I was thinking about family a lot. There’ve been several deaths in the family recently. The past two years have been re-examining the past 10 years of my life and reconstructing things. I started a family of my own when I left my sibling band. That was an interesting dynamic of leaving family to have my own. I realized that some of the things I thought I was over, I wasn’t. I buried it instead of facing it. I was surprised how hard it was to get into the headspace to finish some of these songs when the subject felt too heavy or personal. This process really showed me my strengths are my ultimately weaknesses and vice versa.”

The newly released pedal-steel-tinged “SEVEN,” which features a vocal assist from Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, finds Jamie reevaluating his faith while simultaneously leaving his previous band and starting a family of his own. “It’s about looking at the things you grew up with—these big stories that you’re told—and deciding what you want to keep. It’s a song about letting go. Seven is an important number for a lot of faiths and cultures. This is one of the most imagery-heavy songs I’ve written.”

Hand Habits adds, “Meija is a very creative and uniquely spirited musician, and I was really excited to be asked to join him on the song “Seven.” Had such a blast finding my place in his wide sonic world.”

WATCH + SHARE THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR “SEVEN” FEAT. HAND HABITS

Regarding the video, meija adds, “It takes place in a dream world. We continue the story I’ve been telling in this series of videos but now we go completely introspective. It’s a play on the conversations we all have with ourselves and how we process things through dreams. I always pictured the visuals for this song being black and white. We also took some inspiration from The  Seventh Seal.” Watch part one, “POSSUM Feat. EELS” and part two, “MAGIC feat. JAWNY” in the video series.

There’s Always Something follows his 2023 debut album, Do Ya?,  a clever, hazy, indie-rock journey into the mind of Sierota. Having launched his career at age 15 in the hit pop band Echosmith, Sierota started over again in his early twenties when he stepped away from the sibling band to get married and start his own family in Los Angeles. He then spent the better part of the last decade establishing himself as a writer and producer, eventually working with artists like Charly Bliss, Adam Lambert, Aly & AJ, JAWNY, and Quinn XCII.  He has gained a loyal fan following with over 20 million streams worldwide and praise from outlets like Stereogum, Flood, Earmilk, Complex, Ladygunn, KCRW, BBC, and more.