Words by Katherine Cardinale
Chimera: a thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.
Fresh off multiple major U.S. tours opening for well-established acts like Niall Horan and Halsey, Del Water Gap, the solo indie pop project by Samuel Holden Jaffe, recently released his third studio album, Chasing the Chimera.
In an Instagram post shared on the record’s release day, Holden shared his appreciation for being given the opportunity to be a musician, his lived experiences while writing the album, and thanks for his collaborators and fans.
The 12-track album feels nostalgic, melancholic, and strangely hopeful all at once. The primary theme of the album depicts a yearning for someone who is just out of grasp and is both a sonic departure from Holden’s first two studio albums and more reminiscent of his earlier EPs.
Chasing the Chimera opens with “Marigolds,” a breakup song that was released as a single in September. Other highlights include “How To Live,” the upbeat lead single off the album 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,” and “Ghost In the Uniform,” which describes an individual being haunted by a past relationship and idea of another person that lingers in their head long after they have cut ties. This song beautifully captures the overall essence of the album and feelings of nostalgia and unresolved emotions. The album concludes with “Eagle in My Nest,” which reflects on life, death, and hope. Throughout the song, the refrain “everything will be alright in the end” repeats like a reassuring mantra that the singer is trying to believe. While much of the album depicts a destructive chase for love and happiness, “Eagle in My Nest” acts much like emotional resolution, with the artist accepting that everything will turn out okay, even in hard times.
Chasing the Chimera is a standout in Del Water Gap’s ever-growing discography and is a fantastic representation of his musical growth in recent years. It has also been received by a larger fanbase than ever before, which is evident in the high demand of his headlining tour, set to kick off in Charlotte, North Carolina, early next year. You can purchase tickets and VIP upgrades to the Chasing the Chimera World tour here. We hope to see you there!
Loudspeaker Collective 