The Stories Behind "Too Much Noise"

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Hello everyone , I’m Mike Baker and this is my first podcast episode . I’m still trying to figure it out . I’m still building my studio . I’m still deciding if I even like hearing my own voice being played back . But honestly , I didn’t want to wait until it felt polished . I just wanted to start Because too much noise . One of my albums is out there now and I thought maybe this would be a good way to tell you where it really came from . Not from a press release or a here’s my album breakdown kind of thing , but from me , just me talking .

I made this album because I’ve been paying attention to my friends , to my kids , to the people I love , to the way people carry pain , sometimes right in front of you and you don’t always see it until it’s too late . To the way people keep showing up , even when they’re falling apart inside . To the way people keep showing up even when they’re falling apart inside . To the way we’ve all gotten so good at pretending we’re okay even when we’re absolutely not .

I didn’t write these songs because I lived through the darkest nights myself . I’ve had dark nights myself , for sure , but I wrote these songs because I’ve sat next to people who did . People I care about People . I’ve worried about People who don’t always know how to ask for help , people who might not even realize how much they matter . This album is full of those moments , the kind you don’t post about , the kind you live through quietly . Too much noise is what life feels like .

Sometimes . It’s loud , overwhelming . Everybody’s talking , everybody’s sharing , everybody’s shouting Opinions , yet somehow it feels like fewer people are really listening . We scroll , we swipe , we pretend we’re connected , but underneath it , so many people feel invisible , lonely , unseen . Well , that’s where these songs come from From trying to make something honest in a world that feels pretty fake a lot of the time . From trying to write something that might sit next to someone when they’re falling apart .

From trying to remind people they aren’t alone , even when it feels like they are . I want to walk you through the album a bit , not like a checklist , when it feels like they are . I want to walk you through the album a bit , not like a checklist , just the way I tell a friend about it , because I’ve had so many people ask me about this album and because each of these songs comes from somewhere real , sometimes in my life , sometimes someone else’s .

Always from love , always from care , from wanting people to stay . Please stay . Everyone’s talking opens it because , yeah , everyone is , everyone’s got something to say , but it’s getting harder to find anyone who’s actually listening . That’s what this song’s sitting in , that ache of being surrounded by noise but still feeling like no one really hears you . The next one is called Smile for the Camera . Smile for the Camera is about performance , about how good we get at smiling for the world , posing for pictures , keeping up appearances while hiding everything that hurts .

There’s a line in this song that’s close to my heart . It says nobody knows what I bury in songs . That’s me . That’s me telling the truth . This house is loud and empty is the next song . This one is for the people who know that feeling , the one where the room’s full , the house is alive , but somehow it feels hollow . You can have noise , you can have people , but that doesn’t always mean that you have connection . Then we move on to , made a mess , stayed in bed .

Now that is survival . Some days , that’s the quiet file , the one where nobody cheers for you because you didn’t conquer the world , you just stayed , you just kept breathing and that’s enough . Now the next one . The next one is this one’s all me , this is all me . This one’s close to my heart . This one is called the Friend I don’t talk to anymore , and this one hurts . It’s about someone I still love who’s drifted so far . I don’t even . I don’t even know if they can hear me anymore , not because I gave , because they shut the door .

That’s a grief . We don’t talk about enough Losing people who are still alive . And hey , if you ever hear this , it’s time to come home . All right , ghost , me Too is about pulling away , not because you want to hurt anyone , because you’re scared that they’re going to hurt you first , because disappearing feels safer than staying sometimes . Then we move on to a song called Talk Like that . This one came from exhaustion , the exhaustion of surface conversations , fake smiles , small talk , when you’re sitting there just wishing that someone would say something real .

Then we move on to group chat silence . This one is about that weird feeling of realizing you’re technically still in the group , still on the thread , but you’ve stopped reaching out and they’ve stopped asking and suddenly you’re on the outside of something you thought you belonged to . The next one is called I just wanted to feel something . Sometimes numb is worse than the pain . Sometimes we chase the wrong things just to feel something , sometimes numb , is worse than the pain .

Sometimes we chase the wrong things just to feel alive . And that’s where this one comes from . It’s not pretty , it’s not clean , it’s just real . Then we move on to Autopilot Heart . This one is all about existing without living , going through the motions , smiling when you’re supposed 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 my thoughts . This one . It’s using noise as armor music , podcasts , tv scrolling , anything to keep the quiet from catching up , because the quiet is where the thoughts get too loud .

Turn it all off and stay is about presence . It’s not about fixing , it’s not saving it , just staying , sitting with someone in the dark . That’s what love looks like . It’s quiet , it’s unmoving , it’s solid . And then we follow it up with a song called Can you Just Be here , and this song is asking for that , it’s begging for that . Can you just be here ? No advice , no solutions . Leave , please stay , sit with me in my darkest moments , please stay , and then still here .

This one is the heartbeat of this entire album . This one is for the people who stayed . This one is for the people who stayed . This one is for the people who almost didn’t . This one is for the people who woke up on days that they thought they wouldn’t . This one is a love letter to survival . This one is for you . You made it . You’re still here . Whether you wanted to be here or not , you are still here , and if you’re still here , I’m so glad .

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 a bonus song . It’s just a beautiful instrumental song . It’s called Second Breath . This one has no words , it’s just space . It’s a pause , it’s a reminder to breathe . I want you to listen to it and I want you to think of it as a place to land , because sometimes what you need isn’t more noise . You need that space to just think , to process , to reflect , and so this song gives you that space .

This , this song , gives you the room to feel what’s already inside you . So that’s the album . That’s too much . This one is a gift from my heart for anybody that needs it , and if you know somebody that needs it , please share it . Too Much Noise is not about me chasing streams . It’s not about algorithms . It’s about connection . It’s about reminding people that 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 remind you to stay well , that’s all I ever hoped for . I hoped that this album can be something that someone can listen to and know that they’re loved , and know that they’re heard , know that they matter and that they’ll make the the choice to stay . So this one’s deep , this one’s beautiful , this one is for you . So that’s where we’re at Now . Look , you can find my songs on Spotify , on Apple Music , on YouTube .

Wherever you listen , these songs can be there . You can find them on TikTok . You can find them on Instagram . You can use these songs in your videos so that you can share your deepest thoughts , your deepest feelings . You can share the survival song . You can share that . You made it that you’re here and if you do , please just tag me . Please send me a message . I’m on all the social media channels at MikeBakerHQ , on TikTok , mikebakermusic on Instagram .

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 something to you , please share it , not just for me . You never know who’s scrolling through their own silence right now , waiting for something to remind them that they matter . So thanks for listening . Thank you for being here . My first podcast episode so crazy . I’m going to look back on this in a few years and just think look at that crazy goofy dude .

But thanks for being here and I want to . I want to wrap this up . I want to . I want to say , if no one has said it to you lately , I am really , really glad that you’re still here . Please keep fighting . If you need help , reach out . If you need a friend , reach out . Please stay , you matter . So stay tuned . Follow my episodes , follow my podcast , follow my music , follow me on social media . I promise to always share something that matters , something that’s from my heart , that’s there just for you .

So let’s talk soon .