Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter Jake Manzi has released “How Long This Time,” the third single from his debut album Whatever My Heart Allows (out May 7). Under The Radar say “The tender melodies of ‘How Long This Time’ quickly make for some of Manzi’s most passionate, heart-on-the-sleeve songwriting yet… Manzi has that coveted songwriting talent of translating personal heartbreak into universal writing that will hit anyone at their core.”
Listen to “How Long This Time” here:
"It’s pretty much a song about getting the runaround,” says Jake. “We recorded it about five different times. It seemed like if we could get this song to sound good, then all of the other tracks would follow suit with the tone that this one set. It was the first track where it really felt like we had stumbled upon our sound for the record.”
Atwood Magazine say “his voice is raw and deeply expressive...Pouring himself into his song, Manzi commands listeners’ attention with an easy lilt and timeless sound” and called the album’s first single “Whatever My Heart Allows” “an achingly tender instant hit that makes us unequivocally excited for May 7’s debut album.” We All Want Someone To Shout For praised the song, saying “the keyboards tend to accompany and emphasize his lyrics and the easy going drumming will make you feel like you’re floating through the air.”
Whatever My Heart Allows consists of ten dreamy, heartfelt tracks, and features contributions from Grammy winner Don Was, Griffin & Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Grammy-nominated guitarist/singer Madison Cunningham, and Mikaela Davis. The album is a sweetly confessional union of soft rock and indie pop, the story of someone growing towards a deeper understanding of themselves. A laid-back, honest meditation on what it means to let yourself love, even when you’re afraid. With lush, sweeping string arrangements, heartachey pedal steel, vibraphone, and harp, Whatever My Heart Allows reads as a love letter from Manzi to himself—a love letter he didn’t even know he was writing.
Recorded at Studio 68 in Williamsburg, MA and produced by Manzi and his longtime bandmate and friend Caleb Rosazza, Whatever My Heart Allows sees the two collaborators at their best: dreaming big and making no compromises. Whatever My Heart Allows makes the most of Manzi and Rosazza’s combined treasure trove of vintage instruments and amps, and features Manzi’s beloved ‘59 Silvertone electric guitar. Other contributors from Western MA and Los Angeles include Jacob Rosazza, Ryan Hommel, and Danny Bernini. Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith’s gentle, lyrical touch on drums (recorded at Spirithouse Studios in Northampton, MA) underpins it all.
