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Oct 19, 2023 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Jacqueline Justice

Indie singer/songwriter Izzy Heltai is back later this week with his forthcoming sophomore EP, mostly myself again, out October 20th. The record follows after Heltai’s 2021 debut effort, Day Plan (5 Songs Written 4 the End of the World), and a subsequent year spent on the road, playing an impressive series of tour dates that included opening slots for The Mountain Goats, Bear’s Den, and Liza Anne. Heltai’s new EP was shaped by those stages and finds him striking a careful balance between expressive lyrical confessions and stark indie folk songwriting. The EP was also co-produced by Alberto Sewald (Katy Kirby, Jack Van Cleaf) and Ethan Fortenberry (Jack Van Cleaf, Ethansroom).

Heltai has already shared a handful of singles from the EP, including “Bad Time,” “25,” and “Fifteen,” and today he’s back with an early listen to one of the record’s highlights, “happy,” premiering with Under the Radar.

With “happy” Heltai takes a nostalgic tour through childhood memories, accompanied by winding fingerpicked guitar, resonant piano chords, and steady, meditative rhythms. Heltai’s sparse and simple arrangement builds the space necessary for a heartfelt confessional, soaking his quiet lyrical musings in the soft golden hues of memory. His lyrics pull out details from the haze of a past life, tracing moments that feel both deeply personal and universal, such as the beauty of a childhood garden or fantasies of the boundless future. Yet, Heltai also lets hints of present pain also invade those rosy memories, coloring the track’s wistful tones with shades of gray: “Back before I made excuses for the man I would become / I was happy / I was happier / Than now.”

Heltai says of the track, “My favorite line in this song is, ‘They were gods in my eyes, all of the people that I saw as grown up and now I am the same age as they were then and I still don’t feel grown’

I was talking to an old highschool teacher of mine, and she mentioned that when I first met her, she was the age I am now. How we view and experience the world is relative, and dictated by our own subjective experience. As obvious of a statement as that might seem, moments when that is truly brought into clear view, really stick with me.”

Check out the song and video below. The accompanying video intersperses footage of Heltai’s childhood with him as a grown man, reflecting on that sense of innocence and joy. Heltai’s new EP, mostly myself again, is out on October 20th.