I Can See The Future

On their 2023 debut, *To Learn*, Winnipeg indie-folk raconteur Leith Ross proved they needed nothing more than an acoustic and their daydreamy yet emotionally direct voice to completely captivate you. But with alt-pop superproducer Rostam at their side, Ross embraces the opportunity to color their songs with a broader and brighter musical palette on *I Can See the Future*. The difference is immediately apparent on the opening track “Grieving,” where Ross shares their sobering observations on love and death, but delivers them in a lively, luminous melange of fiddles, mandolins, and foot-stomping beats. Where you could once measure Ross’ confidence through the sheer honesty of their storytelling, here, it’s gauged by their eagerness to break free of singer-songwriter convention: With its beautiful blur of acoustic guitars, tremulous textures, and propulsive rhythm, “Terrified” suggests a dream-team meeting of Big Thief and the Cocteau Twins, as Ross’ vocal incantations float above the swirl like they were having an out-of-body experience. “Alone,” meanwhile, feels like a metaphor for Ross’ career up to this point: Beginning in lo-fi Liz Phair mode, the song builds to a gloriously over-the-top, brass-blasted finale—the sound of a bedroom-pop phenom bulldozing the walls around them to seek communal connection.

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Hailing from a small town outside Ottawa, Leith Ross has built a reputation on radical softness. From their debut ‘Motherwell’ EP through viral singles