Local Chattanooga indie-pop musician Alva Leigh settled back in the Scenic City in 2020 following a stint in London as a part of the folk duo Lewis and Leigh.
While in London, and before leaving during the pandemic in 2020 with a newborn and a toddler, Lewis and Leigh’s album Ghost was voted best UK Americana album and was number one on the Amazon Folk Chart.
Since then, Leigh has embraced her journey as a mother and has created a new surrealist, dream pop soundscape that touches on that theme and more on her latest album, Wilderness, set to release on Thursday, September 25th. To celebrate the release, Leigh will be performing an album release show at Yellow Racket Records at 8 p.m. on that same day.
Songs like “Find You in Other Places” from the album sound like the beginning of a Stranger Things episode in the best of ways but also deal with heavier topics like grief and moving on. The lyrics detail that exploration of grief. “In this dark, I cannot find a hidden trapdoor, and through the fire, the only grace is sorrow. I promise I will carry you as far as I can take you, then I’ll find you in other places.”
In speaking with The Pulse about songwriting, her path to motherhood, and how she balances the two, Leigh mentioned that she feels like she is stepping into new territory.
“Since I entered this portal from girlhood to womanhood to motherhood, I have felt caught between knowing myself and losing myself. I call it a “wilderness” because I feel like I’m stepping into uncharted territory. Moments of luck and loneliness, pain and magic, grief and joy, hope and loss. When I moved back to America in 2020, it felt like the only way to be a “good mother” was to be “just” a mother. This whole album is like a reverse magic trick, trying not to disappear into caretaking.”
For Wilderness, Leigh collaborated with producer Matt Ingram, who has worked with famed acts like Florence and the Machine and Laura Marling, and suggested that his influence really shaped the new sounds on the album.
“This album is the most introspective and vulnerable one yet, but it is more musically playful than the past. I worked with Matt Ingram, an incredibly talented producer who took the songs into unexpected places and pulled out sounds and beats that surprised me. The whole project feels like a big permission slip to play, and I loved making it.”
When discussing her place in Chattanooga and her excitement for the album release show at Yellow Racket Records, Leigh mentioned that she loves the unique culture of the city and has found a new home here.
“I get inspired by listening to Alex Volz & Haley Solomon’s shows on WUTC. Seeing a show at Stoveworks, Tangerine Gallery, or Barking Legs. I love hanging out with my kids at the downtown library. Chattanooga is such a welcoming place. There are no gatekeepers here. I’ve found a supportive and diverse creative community that I truly love. It has been so enjoyable to tap back into playing music with others, and I hope people experience the fun and playfulness of that. Really hoping I can make it through some songs without crying, but we will see.”
Alva Leigh Wilderness Record Release Show
- Thursday, September 25th
- 8:00 p.m.
- Yellow Racket Records
- 2311 E Main St, Chattanooga
- $10 - $13.67
- Tickets at: eventbrite.com