Despite being a prolific artist, singer songwriter Kurt Baker experienced a creative lull in 2025. Due to a change in personal circumstances – spearheaded by a massive change of location and a divorce – over the course of the year, he only released one digital single, before bowing out with a contribution to Wicked Cool Records’ Xmas compilation. Eventually buoyed by new writing partnership, his big return with ‘Undertow Afterglow’ puts the Kurt Baker stamp on a new year – and effectively a new beginning – in record time, appearing barely a week into 2026.
As you might expect, the track plays very much like Baker hasn’t actually been away, or at least been taking a creative back seat. Within seconds, the recording greets the listener with a wall of chiming guitars, drawing heavily from a power pop past, delivering a classic sound with immediate effect. The arrival of Baker’s distinctive curling vocal lifts the feel good tone even further, and everything combined owes more to classic Redd Kross and a few tracks from KB’s ‘After Party’ album than anything found on his Joe Jackson inspired ‘Brand New Beat’. The way his bass punches against a fuzzier sounding guitar on parts of the verse gives the arrangement a further feeling of immediacy, but for those seeking great melodies, a pre-chorus drenched in harmony vocals and tinted with a love of 60s sounds should go a long way to making this track a winner. Lyrically inspired by the push and pull of a fracturing relationship, and with mentions of being a part of “a wreck that’s sinking”, other artists might have made something much heavier in terms of musical mood, but in true KB style, this track comes with an welcome ubeat tone that invites repeat listens and in record time.
The new composition is joined by a spirited version of Paul McCartney’s 1989 single ‘My Brave Face’, which Baker says he found inspiring due to its themes of “putting on a cheerful front to hide inner turmoil”, which makes it a perfect companion to ‘Undertow Afterglow’. The decision to give this a jangle pop makeover, bringing it closer to a Rubinoos or Shoes track, is rather inspired. This, of course, makes it sound like something that firmly belongs in the Kurt Baker canon, even before a slightly spiky lead guitar fills the middle of the track. Everything here is handled with strength and grace – the musicians have done their utmost to be respectful to the Macca classic, even with the injection of a few extra guitars and a little more speed – but as you might expect, it’s the Elvis Costello penned bridge sections with their twisting melodies and wordy approach that suit this performer best. That said, Baker actually reinforces a love for McCartney over Costello when the end of the track brings a slight twist, sharing layered instrumentation and a world of backmasked noise offering a less than subtle tribute to the studio mastery shown on the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album. Kurt is no stranger to a cover – you’ll find Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Devo, Thin Lizzy and Billy Joel tunes scattered throughout his catalogue – but this ranks as one of his finest.
New music from Kurt Baker is almost always welcome, but this pair of tracks – released as a limited edition 7” from Wicked Cool as well as appearing in the digital realm – offers fans something classic. He really gets to sparkle on a self-penned cut that’s up there with the best bits of 2020’s ‘After Party’ and 2023’s ‘Rock N Roll Club’, whilst the well chosen cover could introduce him to a wider audience. Whether this is a forerunner to something bigger, or merely a stand-alone release doesn’t really matter, as it’s a great listen in its own right. Grab a download at your earliest convenience – you won’t be sorry.
January 2026