Recommended tracks: “Small Town Joan of Arc,” “Ghost In the Uniform,” “Eagle In My Nest”
Artists you might like: Lizzy McAlpine, ROLE MODEL, Niall Horan
We declared Del Water Gap should be a bigger artist! S. Holden Jaffe, the artist more widely known as Del Water Gap, certainly knows how to make an indie-pop record, and his third studio album Chasing The Chimera is proof of that. It’s moody in all the right places, producing philosophical lyrics that you actually want to sing along to and melodies that get stuck in your head for days. The best part about Del Water Gap is his refreshing nonconformity.
Jaffe’s been at this for over 10 years, just grinding away, but his career-defining moment didn’t come until 2020 when he released his breakthrough single, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat.” The single even found its way onto the soundtrack of one of the decade’s most beloved TV shows, The Summer I Turned Pretty. The song continues to shine as one of the most popular on his debut LP, Del Water Gap.
While building his way to world domination, Jaffe had the incredible opportunity to open for Niall Horan on his The Show Live On Tour, introducing his sound to an even wider audience, and it was during this time that he captured my heart, along with thousands of others.
Del Water Gap has continued to capitalize on the traction brought in by Horan’s tour, releasing a stand-alone single, “Purple Teeth, The Bravery,” and “How To Live,” the first glimpse into his latest solo project. “How To Live” was the ideal lead single, brilliantly capturing the LP’s core theme as the New York-based singer guides listeners through a messy, imperfect journey to self-discovery.
“Marigolds,” a bittersweet look into missed chances like never telling your partner you loved them while you still could, was the perfect follow-up before the final single, “Damn.” The final single was released just over a month ago and has quickly become a fan favorite, surpassing a million streams on Spotify.
Unlike typical pop, indie-pop love songs lean on vulnerability, small quirks, and unrequited feelings — they’re less about fairytale romance, and more about real people and real feelings. “Small Town Joan of Arc” nails this concept: “She’s all out of Lexapro with a head full of scotch / But she swears she won’t go insane, at least not on my watch.” That’s what draws me in. Indie pop gets love right by showing it’s messy and complicated, which always feels way more honest.
For me, the highlight of this album is “Ghost In The Uniform.” Not enough people appreciate good metaphors in songwriting, but Jaffe’s full of them. This song in particular is riddled with them, including the opening line: “Trapped inside a skull-sized kingdom.” He’s turned his own mind into a paradox, both powerful and caged, often finding himself chasing the echoes of the past. He’s haunted by what was supposed to be a “covid-era flame” that “should’ve lasted a year,” and yet it’s still lingering in his mind.
“Waiting On The Day” is a soft reminder that sometimes hope is all you have when the pain won’t let up: “I’m still waiting on the day when my pain all goes away.”
Closing out the 12-track LP is “Eagle In The Nest,” a track suspended between hope and despair. It’s delicate yet piercing, and imagines love as something small and bright — a daughter “just like her mother” — as a beacon against life’s heaviness: “‘Cause it’s so hard being alive / No wonder everybody dies / Oh, it’s a shame just gettin’ by / But everything will be alright.”
Grab tickets to catch Del Water Gap live in 2026 on his world tour now.
Chasing the Chimera Tour Dates:
1/15 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
1/16 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
1/17 – Richmond, VA – The National
1/19 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club
1/22 – New York, NY – Brooklyn Paramount
1/24 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
1/26 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
1/27 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner
1/30 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Beanfield
1/31 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
2/1 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
2/3 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
2/4 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
2/7 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
2/9 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
2/11 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
2/12 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
2/13 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo
2/15 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
2/17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
2/20 – San Diego, CA – Soma-Mainstage
2/21 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
2/23 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
2/24 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
2/25 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
2/27 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
2/28 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
3/12 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3 Glasgow
3/14 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
3/15 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute Birmingham
3/17 – London, UK – Roundhouse
3/18 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy Bristol
3/19 – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2
3/21 – Paris, France – Bataclan
3/22 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Les Docks
3/23 – Milan, Italy – Magazzini Generali
3/25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
3/27 – Vienna, Vienna – Gasometer
3/29 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
3/30 – Berlin, Germany – Lido
3/31 – Cologne, Germany – Luxor
4/2 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Pumpehuset
Keep up with Del Water Gap: Website // Spotify // Instagram // X
