Irish Pop/Rock artist Isaac Butler has released his highly anticipated new single ‘Good Enough’. Last week I caught up with Bulter to discuss how he crafted the song, his plans for the coming months and his upcoming headline show in Whelan’s main room on Friday, 31 March.

“I actually wrote it on a piano with a good pal of mine. He plays with me live as well, Jake Richardson. We wrote it together on the piano. Then I wanted to have that big live feel to it so for me electric guitars are just the way forward. I’ve kind of fallen back in love with them and I think everyone’s gonna see that. It’s very obvious in the upcoming tracks and stuff, I’m kind of going for that big live sound vibe. Obviously, the electric guitar lends itself to that, but yeah, exciting stuff, really.”

Within the track, Butler takes a tender stance and highlights it with vibrant indie pop instrumentation. The result is a glorious sing-along anthem that is a joy to listen to. 

“Yeah, it’s funny that the song started out quite sad. It’s a sad song if you really break it down. It’s funny when I wrote it, it came from quite a vulnerable place. But we came back to that when we were producing the five or six songs and obviously “Good Enough” was one of them, but we came back to it at a time where I was very much over what had happened and where that song came from. So it turned from this tender, vulnerable side to this kind of more brash, angry thing. Production-wise and even performance-wise that song, it’s angry, you know, there’s a bit of grit there. So yeah, it was an interesting exercise really going from that tender spot to one of I suppose, anger really, is the word.”

Butler has a knack for releasing wonderfully crafted videos to accompany his songs. I asked if he has one planned for ‘Good Enough’.

“Yeah, actually funny enough we’ve done a live band performance, which I’m going to probably release on Monday, I think. Then I’m actually headed off, so, the opening verse line is “that weekend in Paris”. So myself and Peter are heading off to Paris tomorrow morning, we got some cheap flights so we thought why not? Let’s actually lean into this a little bit and get some authentic vibes in there. But yeah, so we’re off to Paris to film. It’s gonna be a simple, enough video, but yeah, looking forward to that and I’m excited to share.”

Lyrically the song is powerfully emotive, relatable and honest. I wondered if Butler was unsure whether he was going to release this song or if its earnest lyrical content was difficult to put out into the world.

“No. It is definitely my most honest and probably my most personal song I’ve released to date but I knew once it was written that I one hundred percent wanted it to be out. I performed it live a lot and I love performing it live because it is so honest. I connect to it quite strongly and then obviously, in that live setting people understand and connect to it when I’m singing because I am so passionate about it. It’s a true story so it’s easy for me to really get into it and I think people appreciate that. So yeah, it was a no-brainer for me to be honest. I love it.”

Like all of his previous songs, this single has a wonderfully catchy chorus that evokes images of live crowds singing back the lyrics. Butler is set to headline Whelan’s main room with a full band on Friday, 31 March and I wondered what his hopes were for the show.

” Well first of all, thanks so much. That’s a really nice compliment. I hope and pray that they do. But yeah, Whelan’s is coming up soon. This show is definitely going to be for me a complete level up. Not that I don’t always put a huge amount of effort into the shows but this one in particular we’ve really been behind the scenes working hard on getting everything right from the production to different instrumentation and even lighting and stuff like that. So I  think people will be excited to see that we’ve really levelled up here. So yeah, I’m really excited to just get out there again. Whelan’s is such an important venue to me. I’ve seen so many people that I love there and I’ve been there probably nearly 100 times. So to actually get on that main stage and headline it is pretty amazing to me. I’m very, very happy.”

Butler recently performed at the Ruby Sessions and we discussed how he found the experience.

“Yeah, I did the Rubies a couple of weeks ago. I love the Rubies to be honest and everyone there is so passionate about playing music, hearing music, listening to it so you really get that attention from everyone which is great. I think as an up-and-comer you get used to not being heard quite a lot in different shows and different gigs. So that’s one that really is close to my heart and I love the guys in there as well. They’re great.”

Butler is no stranger to the stage or the airwaves amassing over 2.5 million Spotify streams and selling out shows in The Grand Social, The Soundhouse and Whelan’s while also playing festivals across the country including Electric Picnic. Two of his previous singles have also been chosen as the ‘Select Irish’ Single of the Month across the Wireless Group and Butler told me how important that support is to him.

” Yeah, it’s amazing, it’s really amazing. To be perfectly honest, I was quite nervous to put myself out there and announce the Whelan’s headline, I was kind of like maybe I should test the waters a little bit more. So yeah, I do feel honored people are listening to me. I’m really hoping to get a whole host of new kind of listeners over the next couple of weeks and months. I think the summer is gonna be really, really important for me to get out there and I’m just looking forward to playing live again and meeting people as well. That’s such an important aspect to me. I love chatting to people after shows and hearing about different stories they have and all that kind of stuff. It is probably my favorite part. “

The first time I interviewed Butler, he was gearing up for a big summer of festivals and then COVID put a halt to his plans. We discussed the impact of COVID and how he overcame the shock of all those plans being pushed down the line.

” It was honestly, lots of people had awful times but yeah, it was heart wrenching to be honest. Everybody had to cancel shows. I had a clear plan and then for that to be taken away was difficult. But I suppose the other side of that is I got to write a lot of songs. I got to meet a lot of different writers, different musicians even and that really has developed me quite a lot. I think I’m much more mature now in my sound, and in the way I’m writing even the way I’m performing. I think I’m in a much better place to hopefully get in front of some more people and get more people listening and connecting. I think the songs are at a place where people will start hopefully connecting to them like I do.”

Isaac Butler is an ambitious and talented artist. His catchy indie pop songs showcase his depth, honesty and maturity. ‘Good Enough’ is a fantastic example of his earworm magic and diverse musical range. I’m looking forward to hearing the tunes Butler releases next.

Stream ‘Good Enough’ below 

Author: Danu