Michael Isaak delivers his new single, “Say Too Much,” the indie folk artist steps into a realm that feels close, unvarnished, and extremely personal. Coming on the heels of his debut EP Forever is a Scary Word, Isaak sheds his coming-of-age narratives and lets himself slip into something deeper: an artist coming into his voice. The track, which first premiered on Honk Magazine, strips away artifice, embracing rawness both in sound and sentiment.
Co-written with Leo Jenséus and Will Martinez, "Say Too Much" finds Isaak most vulnerable. Ethereal guitar melodies ebb and flow beneath his singing, which lies somewhere between delicate and desperate as if trying to find an equilibrium between vulnerability and control. The song will not be contained by conventional structure. It wriggles free of it, moves through experimental techniques, uses unconventional guitar tuning, and has a near-breaking vocal range that pushes Isaak beyond his creative limits.
Written and produced with Charlie Hickey and Tyler Graham, the track plunges you into a near-live affair—an intentional choice by Isaak, who aimed to deliver the feeling of hearing him live. Add in the atmospheric depth of Hickey’s electric guitar, Matt TC Lucas’ piano work, and Graham’s mixing and mastering, which fine-tune the intimate resonance of the track and become a mystery that the listener has no option but to engage with fully.
