“I think where I came from musically was always a songwriter point of view. I’ve always loved songs and I listened to a lot of rock bands when I was younger and a lot of pop music throughout my life.”

In town for his debut Australian shows, California’s Jackson Phillips aka Day Wave stopped in for a chat with Chris Twite on Arvos. They spoke about the path that has led Jackson to his debut EP Hard To Read – one that took him to Berkeley to study music as a drummer, learning jazz and experiencing the perfectionism of that world, only to realise that he really wanted to be writing music with classic pop sensibilities.

“Drums were the instrument I chose when I was younger, and it took me all the way through high school where I got more and more into it. Then I went to college I was so into getting really good at that instrument, so jazz was the next step of being like – how good can I get at one instrument? But I lost a sense of what I really loved about music when I was doing that.

And then I just kind of found it again about a year into college. I was like, this isn’t really what I want to be doing. This is cool and it’s opening my horizons to music, but if I’m being honest with myself I want to make the music that I originally loved. And so I went back to that, and I had to learn all these instruments – I learned piano and music harmony and theory… and guitar, which I actually picked up just for this project.”

On the themes that are present on the EP, Jackson explained:

“I think lyrically it’s just a lot of personal and honest everyday life for me, and that’s easier for me to write that way. Before this project I was a little more insecure about doing that but with this it’s a good opportunity to start fresh and just write a little more honestly I guess.”

Having made his way around the country as the main support for Gang Of Youths, Day Wave also snuck in a few headline shows. If you missed him, check out the acoustic version of  ‘Deadbeat Girl’ he gave us live in the studio and listen to the full interview above.