Zaq Baker has a new EP coming out on November 28, 2025 – Fact and Fiction. The music is keyboard-forward, with quirky songs that are snapshots of life and a bonus chapter of his book, Unspectacular. You can hear the new music live at the Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday, January 17th
A question based on the season, what about your newest EP, Fact and Fiction, make you most thankful?
The opening track, “everybody needs a jean,” is, more than anything, a story of gratitude. The lyrics express my thanks for one mother’s generosity and sharing her incredible mom skills to make sure I was doing OK during a particularly difficult crossroads in my life. Jean is a dear friend’s mom who has truly taken me in like her own family.
I’m also thankful to the immensely talented artists who contributed to the EP! Christian Wheeler engineered grand piano and vocals on “everybody needs a jean”; Mason Meyers at Greenway engineered everything on “Isolation Chic” (which our little team did as our submission for NPR’s Tiny Desk contest) with Conor Lee knocking the guitar performance out of the park, as he always does; and Eric Martin mastered the third track — a whole nine minutes of Unspectacular in audiobook format — and touched up the mix and EQ of that vocal performance along the way. And for that audiobook chapter, Hayley Lewis (Corzine) lent me some very fine recording equipment, and guidance on using it at home, that made the project possible.
Isolation Chic gives me some Magnetic Fields vibes – sharp and humorous. How much of the song feels true and how much hyperbole?
I love Magnetic Fields and their storytelling! “Isolation Chic” is fictional, which kinda creates another feedback loop of frame narrative, given that the whole story in the song is made up. I came up with “Isolation Chic” in the middle of the night a handful of years before I even considered starting work on Unspectacular, or even on attempting prose in a serious way.
Still, I like to half-joke that those faux-confessional songs — dramatic, fabricated, but told in the first person — can predict the future…
I love the idea of making a chapter of your book a track on the EP. What inspired that decision?
Every so often I’m asked when I’ll be releasing an audiobook of Unspectacular, or whether one exists, so I figured I should do it (the full thing is on the way). Lots of people inhale books a ton strictly by listening, and I don’t want those readers to miss out on something they might find relatable or interesting or enjoyable.
In recording the audiobook, I found it was fun to take up the role of spoken vocal performer, almost like acting! I also got to play recording engineer by doing post-production on my own vocal performance. The microphone was new to me, and using the interface and Logic offered exciting learning curves and processes.
The full audiobook might be available by the time I headline the Cedar on January 17th! Our target completion date for mastering is mid-December.
Everybody Needs a Jean feels like a glimpse of a new novel in song. It’s a book I’d find interesting. I won’t ask for any spoilers but do you (with purpose or subconsciously) ever see characters and theme bounce from paper to music sheet?
Theme – absolutely! Characters, less so. Because everything in Jean’s song is entirely true, I don’t think of any character overlap with Unspectacular in a specific way. I always intended Unspectacular to live in its own world, and I think the novel holds up to that goal. That said, both the song and the book are immersed in motherhood and tell a very direct story of motherhood.
Please tell us about the release party plans.
I’m so excited to be headlining the Cedar on Saturday, January 17th! It’s such a milestone it almost doesn’t feel real, and it’s coming up fast. We’ll be releasing Don’t Worry About Me — a full-length album featuring a variety of brand-new Zaq Baker studio material, ranging from highly modern synthpop to stripped-down grand piano acoustic with a musical theatre bent. And some material in between.
The show will feature Pullstring and afters, both of whom blend pop music and art in delicious ways! I’m a genuine fan and a frequent listener of both bands, and I’m overjoyed they’ll be sharing the stage
My band will feature Conor Lee, Hayley Lewis, Natalie Fideler, and Andrew Okland. Probably some vocal features too!
Tickets available here!
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