Kevin Bronson on November 21st, 2023

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In March, singer-songwriter-producer Meija (Jamie Sierota) released his debut album, “Do Ya?,” a flex of the omnifarious pop he’s cultivated since departing the sibling band Echosmith in 2016. He’s been co-writing with various artists since but returned to his solo work with last week’s release of “Possum.”

The single is a collaboration with Eels’ Mark Oliver Everett (who co-stars in director Redamo Rosa’s very “Office Space” video) — which isn’t such a stretch if you listened to Meija’s album single “No Words.”

“Possum” brings all of E’s sandpapery charm to the table. Here’s what the principals had to say about it:

Sierota: “It is a song about trying to face the things that you feel like you haven’t been ready to face. I’ve been guilty of ‘playing dead’ with emotions. Thinking that I’ve worked through something only to realize that maybe I just went through the motions and I’m not really past it. With the video, I was trying to capture what it feels like to be stuck in something that doesn’t serve you, and the moment when you finally recognize that and choose a different path forward. Sometimes we need a little push. It could be as simple as a sudden realization or as wild as an almost mystical computer game that takes over the system and speaks to you directly. Being a huge Eels fan, I’m still pinching myself that E was into the song and wanted to lend his vocals. He puts in a great performance in the video, and it was such a blast having a moment of improv dialog with him.”

Everett: “My dog Bundy has been chasing squirrels for seven years and has never actually caught one. Recently I was out on the back porch when he suddenly yanked a possum by the tail right off a tree. The possum died immediately and was already covered in flies. Bundy lost interest and went inside to brag to his sister that he was now a bonafide killer. I went inside to get gloves and a trash bag so I could attend to the grisly task of disposing of the possum carcass. I googled ‘what to do when your dog kills a possum’ and the first thing on the list was ‘make sure it isn’t playing possum.’ I went outside and the possum had vanished. I’d been had. A possum’s ability to completely shut down their systems is so convincing it even fools the flies. But most importantly, Bundy didn’t see the possum come back from the dead so he can maintain his swagger and bragging rights. When I got the call the next day to be part of Meija’s ‘Possum’ song it felt right. I had to say yes.”

||| Watch: the video for “Possum”