B-Side Guys

“Holding out for some lightness to stay,” Marc McLaughlin opens his latest single with a line that perfectly encapsulates the delicate balance between hope and resignation that runs throughout “All I Can Say.” The track serves as both a standalone single and the title track of his forthcoming EP, offering a nuanced exploration of communication’s limitations and the spaces between spoken words.

McLaughlin’s transition from rural Newfoundland to Fredericton, New Brunswick provides crucial context for this meditation on distance and dialogue. The geographic shift mirrors the emotional terrain the song traverses, with its central metaphor of searching “in every corner of the earth” taking on additional resonance when viewed through the lens of physical relocation.

The song’s arrangement demonstrates McLaughlin’s evolving artistry while maintaining the thoughtful, understated approach that marked his previous work. The deceptively driving indie pop instrumentation creates a sense of forward momentum that contrasts beautifully with lyrics that often circle back to moments of uncertainty and unresolved tension.

In the song’s most striking passage, McLaughlin observes, “In between you and I, are fingers that pry / And constantly search in every corner of the earth / For something worse.” The imagery suggests an almost compulsive need to find flaws in connection, while the melodic delivery softens the observation’s sharp edges, transforming accusation into understanding.

The chorus – “All I can say is said / But not in your head” – distills the song’s central conflict into a single, devastating observation. It’s a perfect encapsulation of how words can simultaneously be completely honest and entirely insufficient, failing to bridge the gap between intention and interpretation.

McLaughlin’s vocal performance throughout the track is particularly noteworthy, employing subtle shifts in tone and emphasis to convey emotional complexities that exist beyond the literal meaning of the words. When he sings “I like it when you say, you’ll mean it in your way,” his delivery captures both the comfort of acceptance and the pain of recognizing communication’s inherent limitations.

As the song builds to its conclusion with the haunting observation “You’ve gone away, only to stay,” McLaughlin demonstrates his gift for finding poetry in paradox. The line serves as both ending and ellipsis, suggesting that some conversations never truly conclude but rather linger in the spaces between people, unresolved but ever-present.

As a preview of his upcoming EP, “All I Can Say” suggests McLaughlin is entering an exciting new phase of his artistic development. Building on the quiet depth that earned him acclaim with “I Don’t Want to Be Blue Anymore,” this single reveals an artist pushing beyond his established strengths to explore new sonic and emotional territory while maintaining the introspective core that makes his work so compelling.

The song stands as a testament to McLaughlin’s ability to transform specific personal experiences into universal emotional truths. By examining the particular challenges of communication in his own life, he has created something that speaks to the broader human experience of trying – and sometimes failing – to make ourselves fully understood.