DEL WATER GAP SEEKS IMPOSSIBLE PEACE ON NEW ALBUM ‘CHASING THE CHIMERA’
Samuel Holden Jaffe, better known as Del Water Gap, recently released his third studio album, Chasing the Chimera, this week. The Brooklyn-based indie-pop artist started his music career over 10 years ago, with multiple albums, EPs, and features already out.
Del Water Gap had a big year in 2023, with the release of I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet. He started the year supporting Maggie Rogers on her THE FERAL JOY TOUR, and closed it off with his own headline tour. His single “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Head” was also featured on popular TV shows like The Summer I Turned Prettyand Heartstopper. Moving into 2024, he embarked on his biggest tour yet, opening for Niall Horan on THE SHOW LIVE ON TOUR, showcasing his music to a whole new audience.
Opening his new era with “How to Live” introduced the essence of the album, revolving around the harsh journey to self-discovery through religion, relationships, and character. He shared on Instagram:
“This song is about regret and spiritual confusion and the quiet work of survival—longing to find a version of adulthood that doesn’t feel like surrender—how to be vulnerable without being self-pitying ? I want to be better and I don’t always know how— we live in such an anxious time and I feel anxious a lot of the time too, but I also feel hopeful and I hope you do too, at least some of the time” — @delwatergap
While the first single opened a lighthearted mood, the release of “Marigolds” and “Damn” showcased the nostalgia and emotional honesty contained in the album, showing off the existential and heartfelt lyrics.
“Marigolds” opens the album with painful awareness from a past relationship, as if speaking to an ex and confessing things they couldn't say when it mattered. Lyrics like “I never told you I loved you when I still could,” and “I’m afraid to belong to you,” show a depth and awareness not many can capture.
As the album continues, it follows themes of self-reflection, but captures the growth and movement from dwelling on the past and what-ifs to living in the present. Through upbeat songs to slow ballads, Jaffe takes his listeners through the process of heartbreak, loss, healing, avoidance, acceptance, and hope. Notably, the production, instrumentals, and sentiment behind “Please Follow” make it a stand-out piece of the album.
The captivating songwriting throughout the album puts listeners in the situation of each song, feeling like a conversation instead of a confrontation. Touching on topics of love, loss, and acceptance, the album has been the most honest piece Jaffe has put out.
Closing the album with “Eagle In My Nest” acts as a warm hug in the middle of a storm. The comforting ending reveals the uncertainty of life. Diving into the harsh reality of life and existentialism, it reassures that everything will be alright in the end.
With the release of the album, he once again shares on Instagram:
“I can't tell you how much this means to me — getting to be a musician — i was supposed to be an accountant or something — i wake up most days and i wonder how i got here and it bowls me over. im exhausted so much of the time but i'm happy today. i've met thousands of you. i started writing this record in New York last fall running around on fumes, staying up for days, single for the first time in years and longing for clarity and forgiveness — songs about hating myself and the things i've chased to try and feel better and fill myself up and sleep okay at night. i've found a semblance of love for myself the last year or two. i fell in love a bit the last year or two. i spent time with people who changed my life. ive lost some of those people and i get to keep some of the others. i practiced avoidance dressed up as connection. longing for honesty but fearing the cost. travel became an exit ramp for me. avoiding discomfort to preserve short term harmony — some of these songs are for the people i've loved, some are for myself. one is for my grandma and one is for my mom and the daughter i hope to have some day. — some days i feel like someone who can only make mistakes. ive been afraid that i ruined my life before it began. I've been afraid of being found out. i think about the masks i wear as i face the world. i keep thinking i need to be fixed before i deserve peace. thats what chasing the chimera means to me. the impossible dream of impossible peace. the shimmering hope of codependence. we code negativity as intelligence and ive indulged so deeply in negativity. my soft hearted cynic is in recovery.”
Along with the release of the album, Jaffe revealed an upcoming tour for the album set to start in January 2026 with support from Hannah Jadagu.