The Stories Behind "Too Much Noise"

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Raw honesty hits different when it comes straight from the creator's heart. Welcome to my first podcast episode, where I peel back the layers on my album "Too Much Noise" - a collection that didn't come from press releases or marketing strategies, but from watching people I love struggle silently while the world keeps spinning.

These songs weren't primarily born from my darkest moments (though I've had those too), but from sitting beside friends, family, and loved ones during theirs. They're for the people who keep showing up despite falling apart inside, who've mastered the art of looking okay when they're anything but. In a world where everyone's talking but few are listening, where we scroll endlessly yet feel increasingly disconnected, these tracks speak to the invisible loneliness many carry.

Track by track, I walk you through the emotional landscape behind each song - from the opening "Everyone's Talking" about our noise-filled but connection-starved world to the heartbreaking "The Friend I Don't Talk to Anymore" about losing someone who's still alive. I share how "Still Here" became the album's beating heart, a love letter to survival and staying alive even when it feels impossible. The final instrumental "Second Breath" offers sacred space to process everything that came before it. This album isn't about algorithms or streaming numbers - it's about creating something truthful that might sit beside someone when they're falling apart, reminding them they aren't alone. If you connect with these songs, please share them. You never know who's scrolling through their silence right now, waiting for something to remind them they matter. Follow my podcast and music journey on social media @MikeBakerHQ and at MikeBakerHQ.com.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone, I'm Mike Baker and this is my first
podcast episode.
I'm still trying to figure itout.
I'm still building my studio.
I'm still deciding if I evenlike hearing my own voice being
played back.
But honestly, I didn't want towait until it felt polished.

(00:20):
I just wanted to start Becausetoo much noise.
One of my albums is out therenow and I thought maybe this
would be a good way to tell youwhere it really came from.
Not from a press release or ahere's my album breakdown kind
of thing, but from me, just metalking.

(00:43):
I made this album because I'vebeen paying attention to my
friends, to my kids, to thepeople I love, to the way people
carry pain, sometimes right infront of you and you don't
always see it until it's toolate.
To the way people keep showingup, even when they're falling

(01:04):
apart inside.
To the way people keep showingup even when they're falling
apart inside.
To the way we've all gotten sogood at pretending we're okay
even when we're absolutely not.
I didn't write these songsbecause I lived through the
darkest nights myself.
I've had dark nights myself,for sure, but I wrote these

(01:24):
songs because I've sat next topeople who did.
People I care about People.
I've worried about People whodon't always know how to ask for
help, people who might not evenrealize how much they matter.
This album is full of thosemoments, the kind you don't post

(01:46):
about, the kind you livethrough quietly.
Too much noise is what lifefeels like.
Sometimes.
It's loud, overwhelming.
Everybody's talking,everybody's sharing, everybody's
shouting Opinions, yet somehowit feels like fewer people are

(02:08):
really listening.
We scroll, we swipe, we pretendwe're connected, but underneath
it, so many people feelinvisible, lonely, unseen.
Well, that's where these songscome from From trying to make
something honest in a world thatfeels pretty fake a lot of the
time.
From trying to write somethingthat might sit next to someone

(02:32):
when they're falling apart.
From trying to remind peoplethey aren't alone, even when it
feels like they are.
I want to walk you through thealbum a bit, not like a
checklist, when it feels likethey are.
I want to walk you through thealbum a bit, not like a
checklist, just the way I tell afriend about it, because I've
had so many people ask me aboutthis album and because each of

(02:53):
these songs comes from somewherereal, sometimes in my life,
sometimes someone else's.
Always from love, always fromcare, from wanting people to
stay.
Please stay.
Everyone's talking opens itbecause, yeah, everyone is,

(03:17):
everyone's got something to say,but it's getting harder to find
anyone who's actually listening.
That's what this song's sittingin, that ache of being
surrounded by noise but stillfeeling like no one really hears
you.
The next one is called Smile forthe Camera.
Smile for the Camera is aboutperformance, about how good we

(03:42):
get at smiling for the world,posing for pictures, keeping up
appearances while hidingeverything that hurts.
There's a line in this songthat's close to my heart.
It says nobody knows what Ibury in songs.
That's me.
That's me telling the truth.

(04:05):
This house is loud and empty isthe next song.
This one is for the people whoknow that feeling, the one where
the room's full, the house isalive, but somehow it feels
hollow.
You can have noise, you canhave people, but that doesn't

(04:28):
always mean that you haveconnection.
Then we move on to, made a mess,stayed in bed.
Now that is survival.
Some days, that's the quietfile, the one where nobody
cheers for you because youdidn't conquer the world, you
just stayed, you just keptbreathing and that's enough.
Now the next one.
The next one is this one's allme, this is all me.

(04:51):
This one's close to my heart.
This one is called the Friend Idon't talk to anymore, and this
one hurts.
It's about someone I still lovewho's drifted so far.
I don't even.
I don't even know if they canhear me anymore, not because I

(05:14):
gave, because they shut the door.
That's a grief.
We don't talk about enoughLosing people who are still
alive.
And hey, if you ever hear this,it's time to come home.
All right, ghost, me Too isabout pulling away, not because

(05:35):
you want to hurt anyone, becauseyou're scared that they're
going to hurt you first, becausedisappearing feels safer than
staying sometimes.
Then we move on to a song calledTalk Like that.
This one came from exhaustion,the exhaustion of surface
conversations, fake smiles,small talk, when you're sitting

(05:59):
there just wishing that someonewould say something real.
Then we move on to group chatsilence.
This one is about that weirdfeeling of realizing you're
technically still in the group,still on the thread, but you've
stopped reaching out and they'vestopped asking and suddenly
you're on the outside ofsomething you thought you

(06:21):
belonged to.
The next one is called I justwanted to feel something.
Sometimes numb is worse thanthe pain.
Sometimes we chase the wrongthings just to feel something,
sometimes numb, is worse thanthe pain.
Sometimes we chase the wrongthings just to feel alive.
And that's where this one comesfrom.
It's not pretty, it's not clean, it's just real.
Then we move on to AutopilotHeart.

(06:43):
This one is all about existingwithout living, going through
the motions, smiling when you'resupposed to, but inside, you've
checked out, you're floating,you're gone.
Man, we've all been there.
Then we go on to louder than mythoughts.
This one.

(07:03):
It's using noise as armor music, podcasts, tv scrolling,
anything to keep the quiet fromcatching up, because the quiet
is where the thoughts get tooloud.
Turn it all off and stay isabout presence.
It's not about fixing, it's notsaving it, just staying,

(07:28):
sitting with someone in the dark.
That's what love looks like.
It's quiet, it's unmoving, it'ssolid.
And then we follow it up with asong called Can you Just Be
here, and this song is askingfor that, it's begging for that.
Can you just be here?
No advice, no solutions.

(07:49):
Leave, please stay, sit with mein my darkest moments, please
stay, and then still here.
This one is the heartbeat ofthis entire album.
This one is for the people whostayed.
This one is for the people whostayed.

(08:13):
This one is for the people whoalmost didn't.
This one is for the people whowoke up on days that they
thought they wouldn't.
This one is a love letter tosurvival.
This one is for you.
You made it.
You're still here.
Whether you wanted to be hereor not, you are still here, and
if you're still here, I'm soglad.

(08:36):
And then this album.
This album is heavy, it's deep,and so I wanted to just end it.
I wanted to wrap it up with abonus song.
It's just a beautifulinstrumental song.
It's called Second Breath.
This one has no words, it'sjust space.
It's a pause, it's a reminderto breathe.

(08:59):
I want you to listen to it andI want you to think of it as a
place to land, because sometimeswhat you need isn't more noise.
You need that space to justthink, to process, to reflect,
and so this song gives you thatspace.
This, this song, gives you theroom to feel what's already

(09:20):
inside you.
So that's the album.
That's too much.
This one is a gift from myheart for anybody that needs it,
and if you know somebody thatneeds it, please share it.
Too Much Noise is not about mechasing streams.
It's not about algorithms.

(09:41):
It's about connection.
It's about reminding peoplethat they aren't alone in how
they feel.
So if these songs help you cry,let them.
If they help you heal, let them.
If they help you feel seen,hold on to that and if they

(10:03):
remind you to stay well, that'sall I ever hoped for.
I hoped that this album can besomething that someone can
listen to and know that they'reloved, and know that they're
heard, know that they matter andthat they'll make the the
choice to stay.
So this one's deep, this one'sbeautiful, this one is for you.

(10:25):
So that's where we're at Now.
Look, you can find my songs onSpotify, on Apple Music, on
YouTube.
Wherever you listen, thesesongs can be there.
You can find them on TikTok.
You can find them on Instagram.
You can use these songs in yourvideos so that you can share

(10:50):
your deepest thoughts, yourdeepest feelings.
You can share the survival song.
You can share that.
You made it that you're hereand if you do, please just tag
me.
Please send me a message.
I'm on all the social mediachannels at MikeBakerHQ, on
TikTok, mikebakermusic onInstagram.

(11:12):
It's MikeBakerMusic on Facebook.
Send me a message, send me a DM.
I want to hear from you.
My website is MikeBakerHQcom.
If this music means somethingto you, please share it, not
just for me.
You never know who's scrollingthrough their own silence right

(11:33):
now, waiting for something toremind them that they matter.
So thanks for listening.
Thank you for being here.
My first podcast episode socrazy.
I'm going to look back on thisin a few years and just think
look at that crazy goofy dude.
But thanks for being here and Iwant to.

(11:53):
I want to wrap this up.
I want to.
I want to say, if no one hassaid it to you lately, I am
really, really glad that you'restill here.
Please keep fighting.
If you need help, reach out.
If you need a friend, reach out.
Please stay, you matter.
So stay tuned.

(12:15):
Follow my episodes, follow mypodcast, follow my music, follow
me on social media.
I promise to always sharesomething that matters,
something that's from my heart,that's there just for you.
So let's talk soon.