Eric Hirshberg looks for optimism without ignoring the bad news
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Newsdesk
There is a distinction between overlooking a problem and deciding it should not occupy every available thought. Eric Hirshberg explores that space on More Is Not The Answer, a new album that acknowledges distraction and division while continuing to look for reasons to engage with other people.
“What’s Not Wrong” offers one of the clearest expressions of that outlook. The song counters the fixation on negativity by inviting attention toward the things worth celebrating. Within the record, gratitude becomes a deliberate choice about where awareness goes.
Released October 16, the ten-song collection gives that choice several different settings. Technology, algorithms and media shape part of the discussion, but family changes and personal upheaval are equally significant. Hirshberg’s optimism operates alongside experiences that can unsettle a person’s sense of stability.
The title track, “More Is Not The Answer,” originated after his family evacuated during the Los Angeles wildfires. “Less Important Things” considers becoming an empty nester. Neither premise offers a way to keep life from changing; each asks how its value might be understood within that change.
New focus track “Machine Against The Rage” applies a similar outlook to public division. Its verses acknowledge the stream of bad news, outrage and competing narratives. Its response is to insist that people retain choices about how they treat one another, even when their experiences and beliefs differ.
The accompanying video arrives with the album, extending a run of releases that includes “For Real,” Hirshberg’s collaboration with Aloe Blacc. That earlier song’s call for empathy helps establish the continuity here: hope depends on people remaining willing to have a conversation.
Hirshberg will celebrate the release at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on October 17. The record’s positive outlook rests on an achievable scale, beginning with attention, appreciation and the person close enough to hear a response.
