PREMIERE: Zaska collaborates through isolation with "My Whole Heart"

Max Zaska is self-isolating with his chickens. His family too, but currently his chickens. "It hasn't been too bad," he breezes optimistically down the line from his Kildare home. "The girls don't really know what's happening. They're at that good age, you kind of forget about what's going on when they're around." Ever productive, Zaska has been growing vegetable gardens with his family in addition to dropping a singularly special collaboration that Hot Press has the distinct pleasure of premiering today.

"My Whole Heart", is about as optimistic as you can get. It's a neo-soul offering written, recorded and produced entirely in quarantine. "I wanted to write something  that was about the isolation, but also uplifting. There's some heavy enough lyrics at the start, but I think overall it's positive. It's about life being too short," says Zaska.

If you find yourself double-taking at some of the faces in the video, it's because they're probably familiar to you. Zaska's "isolation choir" was originally supposed to be a more traditional, already-formed choir, but due to travel restrictions, he enlisted the help of some of Ireland's music community. Tolü Makay and God Knows are Zaska's featured guests, and in the choir you might spot James Smith of Gypsies on the Autobahn and YURN (who also helped to mix the track), Karen Cowley, Caoimhe Barry and Saoirse Duane of Wyvern Lingo, Faye O'Rourke and Dylan Lynch of Soda Blonde, Jess Kav and Neil Dorrington of BARQ, Carly Coonagh, Danny Groenland, Nicola Hegarty, Keith Fennell and Gemma Dunleavy.

Splicing the audio element was challenging, but the triumph of the song is in Smith and Ken McCabe's mixing. This chorus of vocals blend beautifully together, despite occasionally middling home audio technology.

Watch the heartwarming video below.