Chosen by Monk
The power pop lifer and longtime ÜR fave kicks off our week and his music-making year with a double A-side offering, which also marks the first release of 2026 from Steve Van Zandt’s ever erudite and incisive Wicked Cool imprint:
‘Undertow Afterglow’ finds Baker channeling personal upheaval into pure melodic immediacy. Written in Brooklyn with collaborator Dan Miraldi, the song came together almost instantly, its hook arriving as fast as the emotions behind it. Lyrically, it captures the push and pull of relationships: being dragged under by circumstance while still reaching for something brighter on the other side, as Baker explains:
2025 was a rollercoaster of a year for me. I moved to New York City, got divorced, and started to work more behind the scenes in the music industry. I didn’t end up doing hardly any gigs. I went through some challenging times creatively, but I was lucky to start working on some new music with a friend named Dan Miraldi. He came over to my apartment in Brooklyn, and we ended up writing ‘Undertow Afterglow’ in minutes… the chorus just came to me instantly.
This song really exemplifies the ups and downs of life, especially in relationships—getting pulled in by the undertow, yet holding out for the light at the end of the tunnel, the afterglow.
The B-side features a cover of Paul McCartney’s ‘My Brave Face’, originally co-written with Elvis Costello. For Baker, the choice was deeply personal. The song’s bittersweet contrast – bright pop melodies masking emotional wreckage – mirrored exactly where he found himself.
Lyrically it really hit home for me. It’s about putting on a cheerful front to hide heartbreak and inner turmoil after a breakup – pretending to be okay when you’re falling apart inside. A classic pop song with a sad, unresolved core. So yeah, it hits home.