On May 3, dozens huddled into the dimly lit Lost Lake to see indie rocker Day Wave. Even though this was the musician’s first time in Denver, a decent sized crowd eagerly awaited his set.
Day Wave consists of singular member Jackson Phillips, hailing from Oakland, California. Even though Phillips travels with a backing band, Day Wave is strictly his own personal project. His music is best described as laid back yet loudly emotional, an interesting mix that could snag anybody’s attention.
Dressed in a Mickey Mouse shirt and scuffed sneakers, Day Wave presented a new energy to his recorded music. On record, Day Wave is dreamy and chill; while live, he’s more like an extremely talented, delightfully scummy garageband. There’s a certain darling quality to Phillips, one that gives off the vibe of the boy playing electric guitar in the house next door. This quality adds depth to Day Wave’s music, especially to songs like “Deadbeat Girl,” which are reminiscent of hometown romance and heartbreak. Even though Phillips rarely speaks on stage, it feels as though the audience knows him in some strange, accessible way.
Luckily enough for the audience, Day Wave even tried out a brand new track called “Promise,” a song that lives up to its name regarding future material; the track is similar in style to Day Wave’s previous work, and thankfully, that means it retains the same quality which makes Day Wave so good.
To say the audience liked Day Wave would be an understatement—to say they admired him is more accurate. The crowd even chanted for an encore, and Day Wave hopped back up on stage for one more song. Encores these days always seem to be preplanned, and it was refreshing to see someone play an encore only after being actually asked for one.
It’s clear that after playing such a spectacular set that Day Wave will be welcomed back to Denver again and again. Phillips is charismatic and genuinely nice, two traits that improve an artist past his or her musical ability. With the recent EP release of “Hard to Read” in March and many more upcoming tour dates, Day Wave promises good things to come. Listen to Day Wave on Spotify.
