Photos courtesy of Leith Ross & their team
Leith Ross, most known for their breakout hit “We’ll Never Have Sex,” is set to release their new album I Can See The Future on September 19th, with a riveting tour soon to follow. UCLA Radio had the pleasure of attending °1824’s press conference with Ross this past week to discuss the latest about the album and more.
Ross never sits down intentionally to write songs. In fact, they usually complete songs in one go. Ross says they write very directly, and struggle with songwriting insecurity because of their unique approach. They want to be “cooler” or more poetic, but what often comes out is much more straightforward. However, they acknowledged that they have learned to accept that songs should be direct if that’s what they need to be. Ross said that the songs evolve during production, and they have learned to trust the process as they record it into a full fledged version. “Grieving,” the oldest track on the album, was written years ago about their grandfather. It acted as a jumping-off point for I Can See The Future’s central themes. Ross also mentioned that one of the most fun songs to make was “I Will,” which took more time to get it right in the studio.
Regarding the album’s messaging, the title itself represents two halves: personal and political. Personally, Ross delves into self-understanding and lived experiences. Simultaneously, they tackle political themes of belief in a better future and imagining what that would look like. It reads as the dual perspective of the world versus one’s own life. The album in its entirety is intended as a continuation of a coming-of-age journey rather than a total rebirth. Ross also explained that the ordering of the songs is purposeful, and they intend to instill feelings of hope in the audience upon hearing the full record. They visualize listeners listening to the record in settings such as riding a bike.
Some songs that appear on the upcoming album include title track “I Can See the Future,” which Ross believes is a good entry point for new listeners. “Stay” has a gentle intro, balancing sadness, desperation, celebration, and joy. The song itself is about leaning on others, and it features upcoming indie artist/producer Dijon. The production aimed to create warmth, gentleness, and emotional contrast. When asked which song they were excited to play the most live, Ross answered “Alone,” which they stated has potential for a big moment, especially with the catchy ending the audience will likely sing along to.
Ross also was asked questions about tour and the experience for the fans who attend. They said that they want the shows to feel dreamlike, with an emphasis on togetherness. Ideally, they would love to perform to an audience sitting on the floor, creating more of a community feel. They also aim to collaborate with grassroots organizations to integrate community work.
UCLA Radio had the privilege of submitting a question to Leith Ross, asking: “Your album artwork has a collage-like quality, mod-podging images of yourself with elements of nature. What does that visual through line through both albums represent for you, and how intentional was that choice?” To which Ross replied: “On the surface level, I love collaging, it’s one of my favorite crafts to do! From a more metaphorical and emotional perspective, I do feel like I constantly want to represent all the themes that are at play on the record and making a collage really helps me to do that. When I look at it, I see all the little pictures that I’ve took on different days of my life. I see all these memories that hold all these feelings that are related to the songs on the record or just related to me and my personhood. So when I get to see the record, it feels like an accurate representation of that time in my life. That’s kind of the through line; both of them are snapshots of things that mattered that made me write the records. I guess my dream in making it a collage like that is that even though it won’t be as specific for people looking at it, hopefully they will get a similar feeling or impression.”
Check out Leith Ross’ album I See The Future this Friday!
