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On September 24, Alexandra Levy – known by the musical moniker Ada Lea<\/a> – released her sophomore LP one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden<\/em> via Saddle Creek Records. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Marshall Vore, guitarist Harrison Whitford (both of Phoebe Bridgers’ band), and mixing engineer Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett), the album provides listeners a new perspective on an artist whose 2019 debut LP what we say in private<\/a><\/em> had previously established her as a pillar in the contemporary indie scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A practice in long form storytelling, Ada Lea’s latest effort renders a handful of vignettes noteworthy enough to make up the essence of a singular year split evenly into four seasons, beginning with a fateful New Year’s Eve party depicted in “damn<\/a>.” As the album unfolds, each song becomes a benchmark in a nonlinear devotion to documenting the happenings of a year in Levy’s life. Levy claims that \u201cthe narrative definitely took precedence over anything,\u201d a sentiment which can be felt through the lyrical character building felt throughout.\u00a0Here, duality creates intrigue – no character is any one thing, but a myriad of moments and desires which conflict with themselves tenderly and honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The album, in part, is a commentary on how to get closer to time and its passing through revisiting physical locations. Set in the St Denis area of Montreal where Levy grew up, the physical release of the record includes a map<\/a> marked with a corresponding location for each song. \u201cpartner<\/a>\u201d is set in the diner a heartbroken lover revisits to remember the glare of neon lights that shone down on her during a break up. \u201coranges\u201d is centered on a house with a landing where two old friends shared cigarettes and wine, reminiscing of better times. On “saltspring,” the narrator goes back to an island to see names once written in the sand now washed away. Listeners can get a sense of Levy traversing a physical map as a way to conceive of memories from another time and even compare them to the present. One year is different from another, sure, but that difference is legitimized by the ways our relationships change, and how our feelings on those relationships shift with distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n