Terra Lightfoot – Consider The Speed

By starrymag | November 4, 2020

By: Robert Warren

 

 

Q) What makes your music special is your lyrics are very poetic and create a visual for the audience, as your new single “Paper Thin Walls” demonstrates. How do you go about creating lyrics people can visualize?

 

A) I typically can’t write unless it comes from my own experience or that of someone I know. I started writing “Paper Thin Walls” a few years ago when we toured Japan for the first time. I hiked up to the top of a beautiful mountain near Tokyo and that lyric and melody for the first line — “your heart is a hole in the road” — came to me, so I sat down with my phone in the crowd of people up there and started recording a little voice memo. I forgot about the idea until I started writing for this record. Vivid memories like that are also really important. Little details have the power to make or break a song for me.

 

Q) Digging in further there is a great lyric, “Your heart is a firefly I am chasing after in the summertime”—how did you find this illustration for this lyric? 

 

A) My grandparents lived in Northern Ontario and I spent summers with them as a kid. I’d spend all day outside and at night we’d have campfires and toast marshmallows and sing songs. I used to chase the fireflies all around the yard, trying to catch them, and I’d watch as they’d appear and disappear, flashing on and off against the black sky. It was impossible to catch them, but it always felt good just running in the night with them. It’s an unforgettable image from my childhood and one I wanted to bring back for this song.

 

Q) This music video has a great sense of momentum to it—the roads, the several broken camera pieces, the spinning angles. It’s like chasing a heart which the lyrics go over. How do you think this movement of elements in the video showcases the message of the song? 

 

A) Mat Dunlap (who put together the footage for the video) is an amazing videographer. He did all the photography and design for this record, too. I sent him a bunch of tour footage from our phones. He sifted through it all and added some footage of his own to suit the feeling of the song. Most of the live and backstage footage was from our tour with Toad the Wet Sprocket in 2019 and we had our new drummer Frankie with us, so it was a new band love kinda vibe — total rock n roll energy. You can almost feel the energy of us and the audience in the rooms we played. It made me really happy to release the video this year since we haven’t been able to tour and no one has been able to go out and see live music. It reminded me of what it was like when we could gather in big rooms and hug each other and listen to loud music.

 

Q) What’s driving this song is not only the lyrics but also the beat. You’ve got a killer sound. What goes into your selection of beats?

 

A) Thank you! I actually wrote the chorus for this by accompanying myself with a set of drums, which I almost never do (because I technically don’t play the drums). Generally, I start with a melody or a line of lyrics, then find the chords and, last, find the groove that ties it all together and then bring it to the band.

 

Q) What else can you tell us about this song that makes it special?

 

A) I had so much fun in the studio when we tracked the guitar solo for “Paper Thin Walls.” Jay Newland (the producer) let me turn up my old 1962 Fender Bassman SO LOUD in the studio. I got to make so much noise, it was so exhilarating. I love gratuitous guitar solos, so I think that’s my favorite part of this song.

 

Q) Your album Consider the Speed came out October 16. What are some themes you explore on it?

 

A) I’m so excited about it! I was searching for stability on this record. It’s my fourth album, so I was really comfortable with my own process. I also started producing records last year…So, I approached this record with a wealth of experience that I didn’t have before. I felt empowered by that and so I could explore new things like grief and losing someone I loved, specifically my grandmother Colleen. I wrote the about the love story between her and my grandfather on “Ramblin’ Rose.” There’s also new love, old love, generosity, letting go of the past, and probably a few party songs on there, too (such as “Consider the Speed”).

 

Q) What’s been your favorite song to create with this album? One that holds a special place in your heart.

 

A) “Lost You Forever” is my favorite song from the record. It’s a true love story. I was at a crossroads, tired from all the touring, a little broken from my past experience and raw from losing myself in shitty relationships or banking on things that didn’t happen. The song ended up being about taking the leap and jumping into something with someone, even when there’s no promise of the relationship lasting. Being that vulnerable with someone can be so scary. “Lost You Forever” just acknowledges the fear I was feeling… of almost missing a once in a lifetime opportunity to love somebody fully, of being too afraid to act on what you know is right.

 

Q) How much of a hand have you had in the production side of your music?

 

A) This is sort of a funny question for me because I realized that a lot of the records I’ve made, I’ve been very involved in the production process without really labelling myself as a producer. That’s a common problem for women in the industry; we don’t give ourselves credit because often we don’t feel we deserve it. It wasn’t until someone else asked me to produce a record for them last year that I started calling myself a “producer.” So, when I went in to make this record, I had that realization under my belt and I definitely worked closely with Jay to make this record exactly how I wanted it.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Bonnie Raitt. She’s so killer. Such a great guitarist. I’m a huge fan of hers.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of you and the music you make?

 

A) The biggest and most wonderful THANK YOU. This is a really strange time to be making and releasing music or really doing anything artistic, so to have the support and love of so many people is so encouraging for me.