Corey Leiter’s The Whale/The Calf/The Satellite bonds natural elements with the mystery of our inner souls.
About a year ago in Apenzel, Switzerland while on a solo backpacking trip from London to Greece, Corey Leiter was confronted by the Orca. Carrying only a guitar and a backpack, the songwriter found himself staring up at a massive, jagged rock formation in the shape of an orca’s dorsal fin, which had something powerful to share with Leiter.
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The Whale/The Calf/The Satellite is Corey Leiter’s third LP and was released July 30th. The album’s title is derived from different spiritual and physical experiences Leiter had while traversing Europe by boat, train, plane and on foot over all types of terrain. Songs like “Nauticalia” on the record are written with ‘The Whale’ and ocean in mind, while other songs relate to notions of ‘The Calf’ or ‘The Satellite.’
“I liked the juxtaposition of that.” said Leiter, “To me, the whale the calf and the satellite are three things that operate within these vast spaces. I think about wanting to live in each of those spaces.”
He says a lot of the songs relate to Buddhist ideas and have to do with creating space within your own mind to allow for new growth.
“By creating space, you’re being open. Songs can flow forth from that,” said Leiter. “I don’t like boxes when it comes to music. With this record, there’s an acknowledgement of this ‘trilogy’ that invites us to go in any direction.”
Corey is from Aurora, Ohio and has been playing the guitar since he was nine. He would go on to study music business in Nashville during his college years but always knew he wanted to be making his own music. He would drive around the South, through North Carolina, Georgia, and parts of the East Coast and play wherever people would have him. Eventually, Leiter found himself in Los Angeles where he’s been pursuing his artistry harder than ever before.
The new record started with Corey, a guitar and a four-track tape machine. It was Corey’s first attempt at engineering and producing everything on his own, but he wouldn’t be satisfied with the tape recordings in the end, and chose to transfer his home base to a studio in Van Nuys where he recorded a good deal of the guitar parts on the record. Otherwise, the vocals and bass guitar were tracked by Corey in his bedroom, and his peer Kosta Galanopoulos laid down the drums. The entire process took three years.
When asked about the lyrics that run throughout the ten tracks, Leiter says there’s a story arch to pay attention to.
“It’s a narrative, meant to encapsulate a human experience,” he said. “The first song is the introduction. The next three tracks represent oceanic or nautical themes. … “Shame I’m Ashamed” uses the ocean as a metaphor for feeling shame, while the next song “Helsana” introduces elements of the land. I wrote that one about a hike I experienced.”
Leiter says these songs have always felt to him like embarking on a journey, or some sort of dream where the subject is traveling through various realms created by Mother Nature.
The Whale/The Calf/The Satellite has proven to be a milestone for its creator. Leiter views it as a new beginning in his career. He’s already tracked his next record, this time with friends contributing, which Leiter says will be thematically different than his latest release, but no less introspective. A goal for Leiter is to always be writing without being too precious about releasing his work.
Another goal the artist has is to spend less time on social media.
“I like to set a ten-minute timer,” Leiter said. “I try and not be so attached. I prefer to go out and meet people and to play live. People can feel the magic that way. I want to see people’s faces and hug people.”
Besides being confronted by a massive rocky whale fin, Leiter says he finds inspiration everywhere he looks.
“You can look in any direction and find something inspiring,” he said. “It’s everywhere. It’s infinite.”
