Isabel Pless Masters the Art of Vulnerability in Her Latest Release ‘Workhorse Pt. 1’
Vulnerability is a beautiful thing, and it is an art that Nashville based singer-songwriter Isabel Pless has mastered. Cushioned between authentically raw lyricism and a hushed production style, Pless delivers effortlessly natural storytelling in her songs that are relatable in the most healing of ways.
Pless’ latest EP Workhorse Pt. 1 is an emotional work of art. Pless pulls listeners into her world through intimate lyricism, describing anecdotes of discovering self-validation and toying with the idea that “blondes have more fun.” Pleaser sat down with Pless to discuss her newest EP, the importance of her storytelling and what the future holds for the singer/songwriter.
PHOTO BY PATRICK MCCORMACK
Pless got her start in music at just 10, starting her career with guitar lessons, however she didn’t start writing songs until she was about 12. Her middle school offered songwriting lessons, so Pless would go during recess to take time to write. A girly-pop stan from the start, Pless discussed her love of artists such as Taylor Swift, Vanessa Carlton and Sheryl Crow. The heartfelt lyricism of these early 2000 artists drove Pless to fall in love with songwriting, and she felt drawn to write songs of her own.
“I always just loved writing, and I wanted to write music. The writing always comes first, I don’t know. That’s the part that I love,” Pless told Pleaser. “Usually I start with a concept, and then lyrics, and then I’ll write a melody and chords.”
Pless’ songs go deep. They read like a diary entry, and pull listeners in with an authentic vulnerability that tugs at heart strings and creates a gravitational empathy that connects her audience to her words. When it comes to writing these deep, heavy songs, Pless said that her songs are like diary entries. Her songwriting coexists with her personal life, and she uses music as a way to release feelings and emotions into the world in an artistic way.
“When I write, I’m trying to process something that’s happening to me or in my head. It’s pretty easy to be vulnerable when you’re trying to figure out what is going on with you,” Pless said. “I’m someone who honestly has a hard time putting my thoughts into sentences, like I’m not really an external processor. Songs are a way for me to externally work through things and put onto paper what I’m feeling as I’m going through it.”
August 30, 2024, Pless released her most recent EP, Workhorse Pt. 1, which is the first part in a two-part series that will make up the entire album Workhorse. The first single from the EP titled “Isabel” is a song that Pless wrote for herself as a way to remind herself that it’s okay to not be okay, and perfection is not something to strive for. The song is a string of affirmations, with lyrics like “You don’t have to be good all the time / You don’t have to have the answer / You don’t have to be right / You don’t have to be the strong one / You don’t have to be liked / You’re allowed to bleed outside the lines / Isabel you’re allowed to change your mind,” it’s clear that this song is healing to not only Pless, but to listeners that need a reminder that life is more than the high expectations we’ve all set for ourselves.
The second release, “Nobody’s Funeral,” is a fun pop song that tells about Pless’ string of “almost relationships.” The song highlights some of the strong feelings she had about people in her life that were not reciprocated. “Nobody’s Funeral” is a song where Pless recognizes that it wasn’t anyone’s fault that these situationships didn’t work out.
“No one’s going to die, even though this hurts really bad,” Pless told Pleaser.
The third song on the album, “The Bite,” plays with Pless’ underlying feelings of guilt when it comes to things like accountability. The song is an eerie ballad with catchy production and a magnificent lyrical pattern that perfectly captures what it’s like to always feel like the scapegoat.
“I was kind of going through it, and I was in the studio with my producer, and he came up with this chord progression. I was trying to write something with it, and so I ended up writing this song called ‘The Bite’ about how I was feeling so guilty. I was feeling a lot of shame, like I was the person to always take the fall for something even if it was a two-sided situation. Investigating that feeling is kind of what that song is about.”
“Blonde,” the fourth song on Workhorse Pt. 1 wraps back around to that playful side of Pless’ writing. It seems like everyone wants to be hotter, prettier, cooler, and “Blonde” is a testimony to the age old idea that “blondes have more fun!” In this fun pop song, Pless declares that if blondes have more fun, maybe she should become one, indicating that changing herself to better fit in with whatever society deems as conventionally pretty will make her become a more fun version of herself.
“What would happen if I completely f*ck up my life and went Blonde? But also, stopped caring completely about things?”
The last song on the EP, “I'll See Him in Hell,” is about a boy that was, in Pless’ words, “awful.” Warning: this song will tear you apart. It’s a gorgeous testimony to what it’s like to choose yourself over someone who doesn’t treat you like a human. We’ve all been in a place where we feel like we don’t have a choice but to cater to a person who doesn’t care about us at all, and Pless’ storytelling in “I’ll See Him in Hell” makes us feel less alone in our endeavors to fully be able to stand up for ourselves.
Workhorse Pt. 1 absolutely devours, and it is a project that magnificently streams together a weave of emotions that make us, as listeners, feel seen. Pless is a lyrical connoisseur, and we cannot wait for Workhorse Pt. 2 to drop.
