B-Side Guys

“I Can’t Help Myself” floats in the space between anxiety and awareness, with Berkeley’s LakeCube crafting a psychedelic examination of mental states that’s as immersive as it is introspective. While the Tame Impala influence is acknowledged, Luke Bace has created something that pulses with its own distinct nervous system.

The track’s production – handled entirely by Bace save for Cody Rhodes’ drum work – creates a sonic environment that mirrors the dissociative experience of anxiety itself. Layers of synthesizers and processed instruments don’t so much compete for space as they do blur the lines between foreground and background, much like how anxiety can make it difficult to distinguish between real and perceived threats.

“You always wanna know where to go / I can’t tell you that” serves as both mission statement and confession, setting up the central tension between those who seek concrete answers and those for whom certainty feels perpetually out of reach. The arrangement supports this duality, with Rhodes’ drums providing a solid foundation while the surrounding instrumentation seems to question its own existence.

The chorus’s repeated mantra of “I can’t help myself” becomes more than just a hook – it’s transformed through production choices into something between resignation and revelation. Each repetition shifts slightly in the mix, suggesting the way anxiety can make even familiar thoughts feel foreign and unpredictable.

What’s particularly effective is how Bace uses his 15 years of performance experience, most notably with Big Tree and Bows, to understand exactly when to let the composition breathe. The section beginning “Time’s moving but I’m really not sure / If we’re getting there” creates space for uncertainty, with the instrumentation thinning out just enough to make listeners question their footing.

The bridge’s “States unreal are happening” might be the most direct lyrical reference to dissociation, but it’s the surrounding production choices that really sell the experience. The way sounds phase in and out of focus feels less like conventional psychedelia and more like an accurate representation of anxiety’s grip on perception.

Most impressively, Bace has managed to make a song about the communication gap between the anxious and the calm that doesn’t take sides. Instead, “I Can’t Help Myself” creates a sonic middle ground where both perspectives can exist simultaneously, rewarding those multiple listens his work typically demands.

After years of serving as a bassist and collaborator for many of the Bay Area’s finest, including Waterstrider and Christopher Owens, this track suggests LakeCube has found a unique voice in the space between support and spotlight. It’s a promising direction for an artist who understands that sometimes the most universal experiences are the hardest to articulate.