Del Water Gap Keeps the Show Going Late into the Night

Photo by Georgia Lingerfelt

Del Water Gap is the solo-act pseudonym of Samuel Holden Jaffe. The project started during Jaffe’s studies at New York University. In the early days, the band included Maggie Rogers, who has since gone on to have quite a successful music career of her own. Today, Del Water Gap is a leader in the indie-rock space with a rapidly growing fan base with each release.

Friday night Del Water Gap played a doubleheader in Atlanta. His first appearance was a mid-day set on the opening day of Shaky Knees festival. Jaffe had his name on the bill next to artists such as Noah Kahan, Weezer, Foo Fighters, and Holly Humberstone, who he recently opened for on her European tour. As a part of the festival’s “Late Night Show” series, Del Water Gap headlined the Masquerade Hell stage for a midnight set that same day.

The crowd queued in a snaking line outside of the venue prior to doors, shockingly lively for so late in the night. Many fans had their festival wristbands on display as they were eager to catch the last set of the night.

Jaffe started the show out strong and full of energy. He came on stage smiling and acknowledging fans with polite waves. “Coping on Unemployment,” a single from his most recent album, was the opening song. Jaffe made sure to show off his vocal chops right off the bat. The performance was nothing short of passionate. Within the first few songs, Jaffe was already dropping to his hands and knees, dripping in sweat, belting the choruses of his songs.

Midway through the set, Del Water Gap dedicated a song to his longtime fans, thanking everyone who has been a part of his journey. He then played “High Tops” originally an early single that was later the standout track on his first EP 1 (646) 943 2672. The early work of Del Water Gap had a more slow and stripped-back indie sound, whereas his newer releases are more upbeat and energetic. But his consistent raw lyricism has drawn a devoted fan base through his different eras.

Del Water Gap closed the night just after 1 A.M. with “An Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat.” Soon after the song’s release in 2020, it caught the attention of actresses Margaret Qualley and Kaitlyn Dever, who posted a video of themselves dancing to the upbeat chorus while in quarantine. This sparked the song’s success on social media which has contributed to its over 100 million streams on Spotify. The song itself describes the delicate moment at the beginning of a relationship where one must decide if it is too soon to ask for exclusivity and the internal debate of whether the sentiment is shared. But the final product of the song is an energetic and hopeful love song that left the crowd satisfied, as they filled out of the venue into the early hours of the morning.