Thursday, May 25, 2023

Kurt Baker - "Anchors Up"

Photo by Gina Brown

Kurt Baker's latest single puts the power in power pop. "Anchors Up" isn't quite punk, but there is too much of an edge to the song to be purely pop. This is sugary sweet power pop that can still be sung by a guy wearing a leather jacket. It has elements of artists like the Ramones, The Kinks, Green Day, and The Beach Boys. As you can probably guess, this is the kind of song that is perfect for the start of the summer, complete with lyrics about sailing and driving with the top down. Sometimes rock can just be fun, and Kurt Baker has that concept down.

Kurt Baker says of his new song:

"‘Anchors Up’ started around an idea I had while living in Spain during the lockdown confinement. Being confined to your house was not a great experience, but I remember I used to take my guitar and play it next to my window, to get some sunlight. I guess the rays of sunshine brought a happy upbeat melody to my mind, definitely with the flavor of something Green Day might have recorded on their ‘Warning’ album, or maybe even the Kinks, which coincidently, I think Green Day was listening to a lot when they recorded ‘Warning’. Anyway, I had this demo, and the lyrics were just kinda silly. When I sent it to Little Steven to listen to he told me straight up that the song was way too 'happy' sounding! I’m very fortunate to have the ability to work with somebody like Steven, who knows his music, and his feedback and critique of my ideas are so extremely valuable. The song took another direction, once I sat down with my best buddy Geoff Palmer to work on the lyrics. Now the track has this sort of ‘Sloop John B’ vibe to it. Almost a bit of a maritime thing going.. Anchors, drunk captains… You know, I’m from Maine so I’ve been on a boat, and I’ve been around a lot of drunk captains and captainesses, or so they say they are! I’m very very excited for ‘Anchors Up’ to be the lead kick-off single for my new album ‘Rock N Roll Club’. Dig it!"

You can watch the video for "Anchors Up" below. A limited edition 7" blue vinyl will be released on June 30 via Wicked Cool Records, and is available for pre-order here. The song will also be available on Rock 'n' Roll Club, which is due out on September 29. For more on Kurt Baker, check him out on Facebook and Instagram.

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