Carrier Pigeon – Odie Leigh

By Mia Romanoff

Read our interview with Odie Leigh last November here!

Do you stew? Do you entertain your own delusions? Can you just not help yourself? If that’s the case then Odie Leigh’s debut album, Carrier Pigeon, is for you. 

Following several singles and the release of two EPs, Leigh leaves behind her typical gut-punch descriptions of abandonment and unrequited love in favor of a more hopeful approach. Carrier Pigeon mixes the giddiness and joy of falling for someone new with clever lyrics that remind us of the fear and self-consciousness that come along with it. Moving beyond her strictly folk background, Carrier Pigeon brings an element of fun to the table without sacrificing brutal honesty about all the very real, horrid, and embarrassing feelings that come with falling in love. Again, Leigh flexes her talent for speaking exactly what’s in your diary, without churning out vaguely-specific, astrology-esque truisms.  

In true 2020’s fashion, Leigh released five of the ten songs on the album as singles leading up to its release. The singles (‘Already (on my mind)’, ‘Conversation Starter’, ‘No Doubt’, ‘Either Way’, ‘My name on a T-shirt’) all seem to reflect the same tonal niche. Bursting with energy and full of questions, Leigh taps into the anxiety of starting up with someone new and not knowing if you’re at the start of something real or if you’re deluding yourself. 

Behind the playful drums of ‘Already (on my mind)’ there’s an obsessive wondering about whether she’s just as important to her newfound guy as he is to her – over and over she asks “am I already always on your mind?” projecting both a sense of inevitability and wishful manifestation. Less confident, yet just as deep into her internal monologue, ‘Either Way’ has Leigh asking “do you want to know me like I wanna know you?” Almost a reflection of ‘Already (on my mind)’, the questions of intrigue become more serious – it’s not about obsession or attraction anymore, but a real future.

The rawer moments come hidden between the singles. ‘Party Trick’ chronicles that stomach-turning feeling of saying the completely wrong thing to someone you’re trying to impress – the out of body experiences where you can hear the words coming out of your mouth and feel the horror of being unable to stop it. Moments like this where Leigh delves into boredom and embarrassment make her feel so special in an era saturated with singer-songwriters tackling polished heartbreak and movie-ready love stories. 

‘Finer Things’ is the first breather we get on the album, slowing things down and taking in the stillness of love. With just her voice and an acoustic guitar, a world is painted where all-consuming love is not disorienting and chaotic, but steadying and calm. It is one of only two acoustic tracks on the album, the other being ‘Idiom’, a ballad that explores Leigh’s insecurities in depth. The lighthearted approach to saying too much, being too honest too soon, being too self-involved, it all falls away as Leigh compares her failings to those of her parents. In many ways, ‘Idiom’ ties the album together by naming the undercurrent of dissatisfaction and worry that permeates throughout the album.

All in all, Carrier Pigeon is a thoughtful and exciting debut that proves Leigh is so much more than just a singles artist.