(Cover art by Chloe Crimmins ) Zaq Baker can't stop writing songs. Many of these songs have yet to see the light of day, but in recent months, the vaults have been opened. Baker's first album since 2018, Cardio , was released towards the end of 2020. Barely two months later, the theatrical master of song is putting out a new "mini LP," titled Maddie's Delivery Service .The lead single, which we're excited to be premiering here, is the studio version of a track originally released just before the pandemic. "She's Nocturnal" was originally part of Baker's as-yet-unfinished Good Kid Manic Summer project; now it serves as a hint of what's to come with the four new songs on his new record. Listening to the new, studio version of the song is like bursting into Technicolor compared to the sparse, black-and-white rendition from last year. The same group of musicians that gave Cardio its rollicking sense of momentum show up again here to invig...

(Photo by Trista Marie ) Zaq Baker has been working out. The Twin Cities piano rocker has been literally running, but more importantly, he's been writing a lot of songs. His theatrical and affective pop tunes toe the line between the solo career of Ben Folds, the musical Waitress , and the platonic ideals of teenage heartbreak. After teasing listeners with a series of video singles in the early days of 2020, Baker went back to put the finishing touches on what would become Cardio , his new record out today. We exchanged questions with Baker over email to get an idea of what went into the album's making, where his head was at, and more. Ear Coffee : How did "Cardio" come together as an album? It's been in the works for a long time from my understanding, with the initial video singles teasing towards a different album, "Good Kid Manic Summer." Zaq Baker : Yep! In the works for a long time. For me, the intention especially with this album was to have the s...

Things have changed up a bit since we last heard from Zaq Baker . The Minneapolis piano rocker teased towards his sophomore record (titled  Good Kid Manic Summer  at the time) with a pair of video   performances in the winter, but now his plans have been adjusted. Instead of a spring release for Good Kid , Baker is planning to release a different album, titled Cardio , sometime before the end of 2020. "I Wanna Be Your Night Owl" is our first taste. He retains a sense of youthful earnestness on the song, which shouldn't be surprising given the teenage melodrama that has informed his music since 2017's Housewarming  EP. Baker describes the song as telling "a simple story of yearning, a little crush, and staying up late." All of this is immediately evident from the title alone. A veritable murderer's row of collaborators help enliven the piano-driven elegance of Baker's storytelling. Musicians from all across the Twin Cities contribute — Kremblems ...

Zaq Baker continues to build excitement for Good Kid Manic Summer  with another fantastic song-video collaboration with Thicket Creative . On "She's Nocturnal," Baker substitutes longing for winking portraiture. The jaunty solo piano instrumentation gives the songwriting just enough momentum to get the listener tapping their foot, but not enough to distract from the detail-driven lyrics. The song's young characters are fully realized with comically relatable references to math homework, difficult bosses, and the blissful ignorance of high schoolers. Instead of poking fun at their naiveté, Baker empathizes with them and laughs with them as they realize the innocent absurdity of adolescence. "She's Nocturnal" is the second of three videos in the series leading up to Good Kid Manic Summer 's release sometime in the spring. As with " Down For Whatever ," the video was filmed at The Music Lab . Watch below.

Zaq Baker is getting ahead of the curve. He's released "Down For Whatever," his newest melancholic ballad, in the middle of January instead of July, when I can guarantee that it will soundtrack a montage in a summer romance movie. Or something like that. Baker's songwriting emphasizes the timelessness of love. "Down For Whatever" was specifically crafted to represent the feelings of a youthful affection, but it functions outside of the concept of age — it could just as easily have been inspired by characters born in any decade. The arrangement is instrumentally spare, laying bare the dual vocals of Baker and Lydia Pelletier. It lends itself to the song's story, giving voice to both of the young lovers. Fans of exceptionally genuine piano-rock have much to be excited for, as "Down For Whatever" is the first of a trio of videos teasing towards the spring release of Baker's sophomore record, Good Kid Manic Summer.  See? It sounds like ...