Biography
Essentially the solo project of singer and songwriter Jackson Phillips, Oakland-based Day Wave crafts atmospheric synth- and guitar-driven pop marked by strong '80s influences. Across the 2016 Headcase EP and the 2017 album Days We Had, Phillips delivered yearning, often melancholic material that paired the directness of lo-fi techniques with the hazy textures of ambient and noise pop, earning widespread attention. Following the 2020 EP Crush, Day Wave resurfaced in 2022 with its second full-length, Pastlife, issued on the PIAS label.
After issuing an album with the Brooklyn electro-pop duo Carousel, Phillips relocated to the West Coast and started Day Wave in 2015 as a primarily guitar-oriented solo outlet. He first issued the self-released Come Home Now EP, then delivered Headcase in 2016 through Grand Jury. The atmospheric sound quickly drew listeners on streaming services, generating major plays that attracted label attention. Phillips signed with Harvest Records and, in early 2017, put out the debut album Days We Had. Co-produced by Phillips and Mark Rankin, known for work with Bloc Party and Adele, the record moved beyond the project's bedroom-pop roots toward denser, more expansive arrangements.
In the ensuing period Phillips adopted a measured release schedule, beginning with the 2018 standalone single "Still Let You Down" and continuing through the 2020 EP Crush. While under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, he experimented with a fresh writing approach by livestreaming recording sessions on Twitch, allowing fans to observe the process in real time. Several tracks that originated in those sessions appeared on the sophomore album Pastlife, which arrived in June 2022 via PIAS and drew heavily from themes of nostalgia and retrospective self-reflection.
After issuing an album with the Brooklyn electro-pop duo Carousel, Phillips relocated to the West Coast and started Day Wave in 2015 as a primarily guitar-oriented solo outlet. He first issued the self-released Come Home Now EP, then delivered Headcase in 2016 through Grand Jury. The atmospheric sound quickly drew listeners on streaming services, generating major plays that attracted label attention. Phillips signed with Harvest Records and, in early 2017, put out the debut album Days We Had. Co-produced by Phillips and Mark Rankin, known for work with Bloc Party and Adele, the record moved beyond the project's bedroom-pop roots toward denser, more expansive arrangements.
In the ensuing period Phillips adopted a measured release schedule, beginning with the 2018 standalone single "Still Let You Down" and continuing through the 2020 EP Crush. While under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, he experimented with a fresh writing approach by livestreaming recording sessions on Twitch, allowing fans to observe the process in real time. Several tracks that originated in those sessions appeared on the sophomore album Pastlife, which arrived in June 2022 via PIAS and drew heavily from themes of nostalgia and retrospective self-reflection.
Albums
Pastlife
2022
The Days We Had
2017
Hard to Read
2016
Come Home Now / You Are Who You Are
2015
Headcase
2015
Singles
