For musical artists, it can start to feel like a constant game of tug-of-war between how you want to present yourself and how other people want to curb you to fit their mold. Empty Isles started making music under a different name and under a label that wasn’t quite the right fit. But sometimes the squeeze of a wrong situation can show you exactly who you really are and what you want to be, and for Nashville-based singer, songwriter and producer Zach Lardy, it became strikingly clear that he wanted to be doing his own thing and perhaps nowhere is this clearer than on new single “Hard To Cope.”

An avid fan of fiction and poetry, Lardy renamed himself ‘Empty Isles’ after a beloved Tolkien poem “The Lonely Isle.” He forced himself to grow out of his comfort zone, creating a pop EP that sounded different from anything he’d ever previously been a part of, leaving behind his background singing in churches in Nebraska, touring as a backing member of a CCM band, and production work on other acts. 

“I’ve molded musically, done whatever I have to do to find my way,” Lardy says. “Doing my own thing forced me to be adequate in a lot of different areas. I forced myself to do what I needed to do to always say ‘yes’ to a gig. But even with production, I don’t feel completely fulfilled creatively, there was always a side of me that wanted to do my own thing. Empty Isles was where I wanted to spend my time.” 

“Hard to Cope” – his first single off the upcoming debut EP – tackles the many difficulties of the last two years, zeroing in on Lardy’s own struggles with relationships, illnesses, and clinging on to what consistency he could find. Producer Chase Webber joined in, helping shape the new song and leading Lardy to new ground musically. Having set himself a challenge/mission led by the question: ‘What would Bon Iver sound like if he made a pop song?’, “Hard to Cope” is his answer.

Give the lyric video for “Hard To Cope” a watch below and for more information on Empty Isles, visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Header photo credit: KT Sura.