Future Sound: LT Leif

Our column celebrating music to watch continues with Glasgow-based Canadian songwriter LT Leif. With a debut album on the way, Leif talks to Fiona Shepherd about collaboration, the DIY ethic and knowing exactly how they want their music to feel

From the plains of Canada via the forests of Finland and glaciers of Iceland to the hipster hub of Glasgow’s trendy Southside, LT Leif has found artistic inspiration in many (northern) environments, and is now poised to release their debut ‘solo with friends’ album on a label based on a small Scottish island. ‘I love the idea that even if you are having this isolated solo journey, there’s still a whole network of people who are somehow present in your life,’ says Leif.

They were born and bred in Calgary, Alberta, a city of two million nestled between the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and prairies of the Midwest. ‘It’s an interesting place because it’s so far from other big cities in Canada,’ states Leif. ‘But there is also this counterpoint that people have a strong connection to the landscape. In the direction of the prairies, it’s quite subdued, with flat open plains and really beautiful skies.’

Calgary is traditionally more oil and farming than arts and crafts but the self-taught musician found community in the city’s close-knit DIY music scene. ‘I do cherish the rough edge,’ says Leif. ‘For a long time I was happiest when I was playing in at least three bands.’

However, Calgary has not been home for some time. Leif moved first to Finland to study for an MA in Visual Culture Curation In Contemporary Art or, as they describe it, a ‘wacky open-ended arts degree’ which, for Leif, involved ‘a lot of time out in the woods foraging. I feel they have a different way of relating to nature in Finland which is quite integrated with everyday society.’ Next, there was a brief foray to Iceland to take part in a collaborative music project and then to Scotland to record a split 12-inch EP for Edinburgh label Song, By Toad with fellow Canadians Dana Gavanski, Woodpigeon and Foonyap.

‘It was a really nice way to be introduced to Scotland because I got dropped in the middle of a scene where people were welcoming and excited to meet you. When I got off that plane, I did feel that I could live there but it definitely felt like a pipe dream. Then everything came together as I was finishing my degree; a lot of things lined up, relationships developed here that were important to me, and I didn’t feel ready to go back to Canada.’

Leif’s musical relationships form the cast list for Come Back To Me, But Lightly, their diverse, accomplished, beguiling debut album for Eigg-based Lost Map Records, featuring contributions by Bill Wells, Faith Eliott and members of Woodpigeon and eagleowl. ‘I’ve always chosen the people I work with based on how they feel rather than how they play,’ says Leif. ‘I value lo-fi DIY aesthetics but they can be a way of hiding or not making decisions. This time I was working with a pop producer, people who are highly skilled and had really good equipment. I feel like I came into my confidence. It’s not like I knew exactly what I wanted it to sound like but I knew exactly how I wanted it to feel.’

LT Leif plays Glad Café, Glasgow, Thursday 1 December, and Lost Map’s Christmas Humbug, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Saturday 17 December; Come Back To Me, But Lightly is released by Lost Map on Friday 27 January.