'Running Wild': Leith's most intimate chapter yet

Throughout her latest EP ‘Running Wild’, Leith takes us on a journey, stopping along the way to show us the places that shaped her, both as a person and an artist. She revisits the moments she holds close, and the ones she’s ready to leave behind in the rearview mirror of her mind.

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All photos via Instagram: @jessieleithmunro

There is a true sense of intimacy in Leith's voice on the titular track 'Running Wild'. Hushed tones and whispers carry the weight of every thought she shares, and those that remain unsaid. She touches upon the hardships of caring for someone you cannot have with nuance, with lyrics like 'we'll both go home to someone else / I'll cry alone, won't ask for help'. She captures that aching, vulnerable feeling beautifully. The track feels like an acknowledge of life getting in the way of your desires, sharing that 'there's nothing left to do' and 'life can be so cruel / it won't let me love you'. Love cannot always survive reality, and that hurt is where this song sits. While you can wait for clarity, sometimes the yearning is for nothing as there will not be one true answer. She paints the picture of distance between what is, and what could have been as we join her in replaying these possibilities. Maybe holding on to a piece of hope stops the hurt from becoming unbearable, as she leaves with the message 'I'm here, for what it's worth', that if it cannot become a love that brings you consuming happiness, it can at least be something more than a stranger. We take leaps, not steps, into Leith's soul from the very first track. Sonically, this is a delicate acoustic piece that feels exposing, raw, and we truly feel that quiet undertaking of devastation and what if.

'Bubble Bath' continues this exploration, and we are exposed to a glimpse into emotions that we can all relate to. Leith masters vivid imagery here, with the opening lyrics of 'tears are coming down, they're filling a bubble bath' - the sorrow is palpable. Other moments like 'the person you want from me is somewhere lost at sea / and she's not coming back' share more of the quiet grief she feels, not wanting to talk and an admittance, or acceptance, that she is no longer that previous version of herself that people expect from her. As the song progresses, her voice grows more to a state of urgency, as if to break free from these emotional restraints. The sharpness in the delivery of lines like 'leave me alone tonight / don't wanna talk about it' has a defiance to it that is reminiscent of Caroline Polachek, which suits the song's feel. The repetition of the opening words reminds us how these emotions can be full circle and becomes increasingly hard to escape from, or in her words, 'the cycle doesn't want to end'. Still, the song itself remains catchy and still possesses a pop appeal that Leith exudes so effortlessly despite its stripped back production and deeper subject matter.

Leith confronts the idea of double standards and exhausting misogyny that women face on a daily basis in 'Short Enough'. There's a clear frustration throughout this track, questioning 'is my voice too loud to help you through?' and 'is my dress not short enough for you?' She combats this with lines like 'you're asking for a punch right in the face', and describing the subject of the track as a 'nothing but another bad cliché'. Beneath these lines the feeling of being misunderstood, placed in situations that do not feel right and the lack of systems in place to protect women in creative fields or every day life. The song speaks to the way so many women feel the need to shrink themselves for the comfort of others, and the tension of trying to navigate experiences with people that reinforce such structures. 'Short Enough' takes up space and acts as a way of resistance within this conversation that not enough people are contributing to, calling out these ideas unapologetically. To then have the addition of 'Short Enough - Acoustic' at the end of the EP shifts this energy from rage to something more vulnerable, hitting hard that behind that confidence seen in her defiance, sits the undeniable upset of these experiences. The two versions, portraying the conflicting emotions towards society that continues to allow this, serve as highlights across not only 'Running Wild', but Leith's discography as a whole.

'I Don't Live Here Anymore (Reimagined)', initially released in 2023, allows the track to find a new home within Leith's latest project. It feels exposing as she reflects upon the emotional weight of leaving behind an environment that you knew so well. Its stripped back production allows the sole focus to lay with reminiscing and the ache it brings. Her exploration of change feels very Phoebe Bridgers-esque in its tenderness and ability to make you sink deeply into her feelings to allow the emotion to simply wash over. When contemplating moving on from and returning to places that were once so comfortable, she says 'I haven't seen you since I went away'. There is familiarity in these words, where everything is the same yet her perspective and life has changed, so ultimately, things become faded. Lyrics like 'the locks have changed' are literal and symbolic simultaneously, and can be universally felt throughout a lifetime. The track holds a bittersweet feeling, wanting to slip back into an old life for a moment, and recognising that homesickness ultimately stems from loving a place so genuinely and deeply. The pain comes from the beauty of memory and this is what truly resonates. Leith lets us feel what has not been lost, but has been walked away from, and what it has cost her.

Softer moments like this contrast greatly with tracks like 'Second Chances', and it makes the EP feel so well rounded. 'Second Chances' leans into unfiltered honesty, and the messy stages between love and disappointment, not breaking up, but hoping someone steps up. Lyrics like 'I don't recognise what you're like when you're with your friends from the new sports team' recognises a shift in behaviour, bluntly calling out the way someone acts in different company and the performances nature of this change. Hurt is seen as she vividly recalls 'you said a white dress would look with sneakers on / then you and fake Elvis got drunk and it all went wrong' - it is witty yet wounded. Leith shies away from sugarcoating this situation, admitting that 'you know just where the line is and push from different sides'. Above all though, there is a recognition that while boundaries have been crossed and she will not make excuses, she is still here. She owns the contradictions of actions having consequences, staying to fight for love while knowing that things must change. Leith is highly self aware and should not be mistaken for naive here, as she leaves the reminder to 'don't take this second chance and fuck it up / 'cause I'll tell your mom that you only take advantage when you're in love / and I'll be gone'.

'Running Wild' feels like a collection of stories, less so a structured narrative but like the act of flicking through the pages of a memory book. Leith's lyricism feels grounded in emotion, giving us just the right amount of detail. It helps us get to know her more, not just as an artist but as a person. You can see her growth, taking everything she has learned from previous projects and channelled it into something new, a reflective and gleaming EP that marks a step forward in her musical journey.