Inception and early career
Jaffe is from Sharon, Connecticut. [5] While at boarding school in Millbrook, New York, Jaffe first recorded as Del Water Gap. [6] The name was inspired by the Delaware Water Gap. [7] Jaffe cites seeing the name handwritten on the back of a box truck in Sharpie at the age of seventeen. At the time of the project's inception, Jaffe was playing drums in a noise rock band in which "they wouldn’t really let me sing." [8] He later attended the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University (NYU) to study music and sound production. [9] Band membership changed often as Jaffe entered college. There, he connected with Maggie Rogers, who played in the first incarnation of Del Water Gap. [10] She was in the band for six months. After two of the people he had started the project with dropped out, Jaffe took on Del Water Gap as a solo project. [7]
In 2013, Del Water Gap released his first EP, Del Water Gap EP. [11] In 2017, he independently released the EP 1 (646) 943 2672, named after the number for a burner phone he encouraged fans to call. [7]
In 2018, Jaffe released the single "Laid Down My Arms" on Terrible Records. [12] In 2019, he released the singles "Chastain" and "Theory of Emotion" ahead of his third EP, Don't Get Dark, also on Terrible Records. [13] In 2019, he released the EP Alive From Fresno, which included seven tracks recorded live. [14]
2020–present: "Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat" and mainstream success
In 2020, Del Water Gap released "Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat" and "Mariposa" on Atlantic Records. [15] [16] In July 2020, "Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat" gained widespread attention after actresses Margaret Qualley and Kaitlyn Dever posted an Instagram video of themselves performing a "socially distant dance party" to the song during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic. [17]
Also in 2020, Jaffe featured on "New Song" with Maggie Rogers as part of her compilation album Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011–2016 . [18] Jaffe also collaborated with Rogers on her second album, Surrender , co-writing and producing the singles "Want Want" and "Anywhere With You" alongside Rogers and Kid Harpoon. [19] [20] He also worked with Claud on the single "My Body" and co-wrote and produced Claud's "Never Meant to Call". [21]
In 2021, Jaffe released his debut LP Del Water Gap on Mom + Pop Music. He toured internationally to support the album. [22]
In 2023, Jaffe released the album I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. The recording process took approximately 18 months over 40 studio sessions. It features collaborations with musicians such as Clairo and Arlo Parks. [23] The album, his second release on Mom + Pop, debuted at number 97 on the Top Current Album Sales chart. [14]
In April 2024, Jaffe was announced as the opener for the North American leg of Niall Horan's The Show: Live on Tour. [24] Jaffe was later added to the United Kingdom and Ireland legs of the tour as well. [25] The tour included stops at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, and the O2 Arena in London. [26]
Jaffe has additionally opened for artists such as Halsey, girl in red, Arlo Parks, Holly Humberstone, Jeremy Zucker, Maggie Rogers and Mt. Joy. [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
