Del Water Gap stands on a rock in a shot taken from the “Damn” music video. Photo courtesy of Live Nation.
SAMANTHA RITTENBERG | STAFF REPORTER | srittenberg@butler.edu
Not every small-town boy gets the chance to become an indie-pop star, but Samuel Holden Jaffe — better known as Del Water Gap — did and is currently reaping the benefits. He released his third studio album, “Chasing the Chimera”, on Nov. 7. The 12-song album is an introspective piece for Del Water Gap and acts as a personal manifesto.
In his Instagram post announcing the official release, Del Water Gap wrote a lengthy caption describing what inspired the album, including yearning for a sense of clarity and forgiveness. Del Water Gap also credited the people he wrote it for: his future daughter, mom and grandma — one of his biggest musical inspirations.
Prior to the full album release, Del Water Gap put out three songs: “How to Live”, “Damn” and “Marigolds”. These songs acquired a lot of attention, especially “How to Live”, a song about regret and the search for transparency in a world of fog.
Del Water Gap has released music for over a decade now, but his music did not gain much popularity until 2020, when his song “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” went viral. Actresses Margaret Qualley and Katilyn Denver had a socially distant dance party to the song via Instagram, bringing it to life.
Since then, he has released three full albums, including his self-titled album “Del Water Gap”, “I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet” and his newest album.
Aynsley Bjorge, a junior psychology and data science double major, bought Del Water Gap’s first album on vinyl during the pandemic.
“[His music] has definitely gotten more produced as time goes on,” Bjorge said. “He had an EP come out 10 years ago or so, and that was self-produced; he was not on a label yet. I definitely think that his sound has changed with his success.”
Del Water Gap grew up in a small town in rural Connecticut between two dairy farms. With spotty internet connection and not much to do, he spent the majority of his free time walking around and playing guitar. Del Water Gap furthered his passion by studying music at Clive Davis at New York University (NYU), where he received both a musical and liberal arts education. He initially debuted in the indie-rock scene before finding his niche in indie-pop.
Del Water Gap has headlined two tours thus far. In 2026, he will embark on a third tour covering the United States, Canada, European Union and the United Kingdom for “Chasing the Chimera”. He has also opened for several artists in the indie genre, including Holly Humberstone, girl in red, Maggie Rogers and Niall Horan.
Molly Parker, a junior criminology and psychology combined major and French double major, first discovered Del Water Gap when he opened for Horan in the summer of 2024 and has been following his music ever since.
“I listened to [‘Chasing the Chimera’] all this morning and honestly, it was a different vibe,” Parker said. “I feel like this newest album was — I don’t want to say happier per se than his older music — but it did not have the same emotional feel to it. I couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but there was a difference.”
Not only did Del Water Gap work with Rogers when he opened for her tour in 2023, but Rogers was actually a part of the early days of Del Water Gap. The two met at NYU in 2014, where they wrote and recorded many songs, including “New Song” — which was released in 2020.
Along with concerts, Del Water Gap has performed at several music festivals, including Lollapalooza, over the past two years.
Kate Parisi, a junior finance and marketing double major, was one of the first to hear that Del Water Gap was releasing a new album when he announced the news at Lollapalooza this past August.
“I went to Lollapalooza this past summer, and he was on the lineup,” Parisi said. “Whenever I go to a music festival, I like to prepare and listen to all the artists who I am gonna see. I listened to a few of his songs, and I was like, ‘Oh, wait, I really like this music’. So, I dove a little bit deeper into some more of his songs and albums.”
Del Water Gap’s last song, “Eagle In My Nest”, completes the album with a sad but hopeful tone, just as his Instagram post does, ending the main paragraph with the line, “my soft hearted cynic is in recovery.”
All of Del Water Gap’s albums are uniquely different as he uses music to channel his deepest thoughts and dreams, and no two are ever the same. Viewers hope to see qualities of this raw emotion seep through the lyrics on stage come January.
“Chasing the Chimera” is available on all streaming platforms and in stores.
