Thank you Draven.
I tried narrowing the vertical space, almost down to a few millimeters between molars, and it made a huge difference. Sound just kind of popped into place. I never realized the vertical space could be so small in the higher range, I certainly appreciate it. Mind blown.
The forced compression with volume is prob my biggest problem right now, i'm just starting to learn to sing without an artificially-lowered larynx+twangy mix all the time. If I relax enough I can do it, but consistency and mostly "trust" is still difficult. I will look at the videos you suggested and I imagine it will get freer with many more hours of intentional practice.
I'll be back...
Feel free to DM me with rec's for LA area lessons if you have any. Not thrilled with the options under $300/hr out here (And not wealthy)