Del Water Gap - Chasing the Chimera [Clear]

Del Water Gap's third album, Chasing the Chimera, comes on clear vinyl in a gatefold jacket with a lyric book, a fitting home for a record this invested in its words.

Del Water Gap is the project of singer, songwriter and producer Holden Jaffe, who grew up in Sharon, Connecticut and now calls Brooklyn home. After building a devoted following with his self-titled debut and I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet, he returned to Mom+Pop in 2025 with a set that feels more searching and cinematic. The title comes from Alice Rohrwacher's film La chimera, prompted by a conversation with Isabella Rossellini at a film club he runs with his grandmother, which says plenty about the romantic, slightly old-world sensibility at work.

Marigolds, the first single, sets the tone with a soft-focus melody and a chorus that blooms slowly. Damn, released just ahead of the album, carries a different kind of urgency, while Small Town Joan of Arc spins a vivid character sketch and Eastside Girls brings city life into focus.

Jaffe sings with a warm, confiding closeness that makes even the biggest moments feel personal.

For listeners who love literate, heart-on-sleeve indie pop, this is a beautifully packaged record to sit with, lyric book in hand.