Boston-born singer songwriter, Izzy Heltai, uses music as a personal guide. His experiences writing “Anyone To Anybody,” the first track from his upcoming debut EP, Sweet Apathy, further revealed to Heltai the power of the creative process. “When you do anything creative it’s kind of trying to tap into a subconscious part of what you’re going through,” Heltai explains. “But it makes sense of it in a way you can’t yet put into words.”
Heltai began writing his bellowing break-up ballad, “Anyone To Anybody,” before ending things with his then-lover. The song put his crumbling relationship into perspective: “It’s weird when songs come out before an event has happened,” he says.
“Anyone To Anybody” describes a painful recognition of unwanted responsibility and the desire to keep hanging on. Heltai’s vocals gently howl like harsh gusts of wind. “And it was long ago that I thought we’d grow old together,” he sings. “Well now I know, now I know.” Like a lot of folk music, the sound appears simple at first. But there are intricate layers in the mandolin, acoustic guitar, violin, a drum-kit, and three-part harmonies. The song is full and natural. With a few drinks one may find it hard to stop swaying with the beat, lost in the memories of times past.
“Most of my songwriting is an investigation in love in general,” says Heltai. “I think love is worth doing whether painful or not.” Despite the outcome of your next relationship, Heltai’s tunes may open a hidden door to something you’ve overlooked. Sweet Apathy, Heltai’s six-song debut,will be out on January 5th. It is inspired by the words and music of Jason Isbell, Noah Gundersen, Paul Simon, and Rayland Baxter— “anyone who can tell a good story,” says Heltai.
Listen to “Anyone to Anybody” below, and see Heltai perform songs from Sweet Apathy at Club Passim on January 2nd: