Odie Leigh never considered herself a musician before the onset of the global pandemic, when her roommates wagered a deal: The first person to record a song that goes viral wins. Not thinking of herself as a viable contender, Leigh’s interests were piqued, and she took it upon herself to place an entry, uploading her best to TikTok and racking up views. Four years later, she has matured into a fully-fledged musician, preparing to drop her aptly personal, no-frills album, Carrier Pigeon.
“I wouldn’t say that there’s ever really any intention. I write songs for myself, in the moment,” she attests when asked about the set’s emotional aim, brushing aside assumed poetics in favor of raw and unabashed honesty that courses like diary entries from a 20-something feeling the full effect of love. “And it’s hard for me/ To not/ Romanticize every/ Man I meet,” Leigh sings on “A Good Thing,” leaning into the fleeting feelings that she says make this album a distinct marker of time, while also using the opener as a sonic through-line of where she’s been and intends to take her music.
“I feel like ‘A Good Thing’ kind of serves to introduce the rest of the album. It introduces the listener to my new sound, going from acoustic to this kind of late ‘90s, early 2000s girl-rock thing.” True to her word, Carrier Pigeon begins with Leigh’s acoustic strums and builds with the added instrumentation of a full band, mirroring her own experience as a developing artist. “I made folk music because all I had was a guitar. I made folk music because I never expected to be in a position where I would have access to drums, a real studio, bass players and really good guitar players,” she confirms.
Despite the referenced change, there’s a consistency that still rings true: Leigh’s lyrical truth-telling. “All of these songs were written over the course of a relationship, and they’re all very personal, very honest and very in the moment. And that is something that my music has always been. It’s always just been me conveying a very specific moment that I’m experiencing, and this album is no different in that way.”
Just prior to Carrier Pigeon’s July release date, the artist, who has already taken part in the esteemed Newport Folk Festival, sighs and admits, “I get really nervous and scared because I don’t know what people are going to think.” Letting her words sink in, she continues on her path of honesty, “So, it’s been hard because I don’t want anyone to think I’m weak for writing an album about a boy. I think I’m perceived as more powerful if I’m seen as single, strong and independent.”
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