Blue shirt, palm tree, late-afternoon light on a salt-and-pepper beard: the cover for "Try so Hard" looks like a backyard pause, not a hard sell. That fits the song. Scott Fisher released it on May 22, 2026, as part of the album A Billion Suns on 1 A.M. Music.
A Rhythm Section With a Pedigree
The credits are the headline. Tim Lefebvre plays bass and co-produces; Joey Waronker plays drums. Lefebvre's résumé includes David Bowie and Tedeschi Trucks Band; Waronker's includes Beck, R.E.M. and Atoms for Peace. Fisher handles vocals, Wurlitzer and guitars, and mixed the track himself. At three minutes and 33 seconds, "Try so Hard" is track seven on the nine-song album Apple lists as Billion Suns — the artist's site and our earlier coverage use A Billion Suns.
We already wrote about the title track earlier this year — see our "A Billion Suns" review — and "Try so Hard" sits further into the same record, in a more unhurried pocket. Portland-born and Los Angeles-based, Fisher has spent years blending jazz, rock and indie instincts; this album cut shows that blend with the rhythm section doing quiet, expensive work.
The Irony in the Title
Public write-ups around the album describe "Try so Hard" as a laid-back look at a culture of bragging and self-promotion: a social climber checking boxes behind a beautiful disguise, landing on the idea that you cannot be cool when you try that hard. Fisher has framed the song as a reaction to peak self-promotion, which makes the easy-going arrangement part of the point. The groove does not shout; Lefebvre and Waronker keep it deliberate and loose enough for Fisher to move around on keys and guitar.
Earlier in the A Billion Suns cycle, Glide Magazine wrote about Fisher's single "The Great Unknown," saying it "evokes familiar jazz tendencies while avoiding tropes like the plague" and that "Fisher is back in a massive way." That press context helps place the album's blend of indie, jazz and rock instincts. Apple files "Try so Hard" under Pop; we hear it as the album's shrug — the moment that refuses to flex.
Buzzbands.LA flagged the track when the album arrived in May, calling out laid-back, '70s-leaning blues-pop with warm keys and tasteful guitar. Months on, that read still fits: nothing about "Try so Hard" is in a hurry, and that is the charm.
Final Thoughts
"Try so Hard" is the rare album cut where the famous names in the rhythm section stay in service of a shrug. With Lefebvre and Waronker holding that pocket for three minutes and 33 seconds, does the title's warning hit harder because the music refuses to flex — or would you have wanted a bigger chorus anyway? Tell us in the comments.
A Tip for Independent Artists
Fisher mixed "Try so Hard" himself and still put it next to players of Lefebvre and Waronker's caliber. When the record is ready, the distribution step should not be the hard part. DistroKid (affiliate link) delivers to Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and more, and our link takes 7% off your membership.
