Review: "Quilt of Steam" – New Song by Del Water Gap
- by Jordan
- in Reviews
Del Water Gap is a solo project by the songwriter S. Holden Jaffe. He’s from Brooklyn, NY. This past week he released the next single from his upcoming album, I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. The new song is called “Quilt of Steam”. It’s every bit as well-written as it is dreamy. Del Water Gap takes a moment to live in the mundane, finding poetry in the inner functions of everyday life. Del Water Gap stated, “the song is about coming off tour, feeling scrambled as hell, and trying to find some balance and stillness in the midst of all that. It’s about waking up in your own bed for the first time in months and noticing the little details you hadn’t had the capacity to let in while everything was moving around you.” Due to a sense of whiplash, a break from chaos can be just as jarring as being subject to it. Though not exclusive to the pace of tour life, the only thing that’s truly permanent in life is impermanence. While rapid change is disturbing, it is human nature to get used to what is consistent and when that thing changes, the soul is left looking for something familiar to cling to. “Quilt of Steam” is a thought-provoking perspective on this experience.
One thing worth highlighting on this song is the polished and immensely dynamic production. The mix on Del Water Gap and Arlo Parks’ vocals (she provides background singing throughout the song) offer quite a rich atmosphere but the production does a lot of heavy lifting in that regard. With slight delay on the drums, vibrant and expressive synths, and momentarily minimalist production that evolves into a dense and colorful soundscape, “Quilt of Steam '' is both immersive and luscious. Production credits show that we have both Del Water Gap and Ethan Gruska to thank for that.
Another strong trait of “Quilt of Steam” is its eloquent songwriting. I find the lyrical content of the song to be not only interesting but poetically expressed. In the world of songwriting there are two main factors to consider: WHAT you’re saying and HOW you’re saying it. A song can explore an idea that may not be particularly unique but the way they discuss it is. Or vice versa. For example, a song can be about a fairly common topic such as love, but be told through a unique extended metaphor. Or on the other hand, a song could be written so bluntly it could damn near be read as prose, but the content of the song explores an idea that is unique in its nature. The songwriting on “Quilt of Steam” is so strong because the themes and ideas explored in the song are unique, and the way they are discussed is poetic and creative. Del Water Gap captures the essence of the mundane by finding beauty in the steam rising from a radiator in his home bedroom. This offers him something to cling to as he meditates on his relationships with others and the world around him that was constantly moving not too long ago.
“Quilt of Steam” is my introduction to Del Water Gap and I look forward to hearing the other singles released for I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. Del Water Gap seems to capture both the ear and the mind with thoughtful songwriting, extremely lush production, and profound engineering. Del Water Gap is said to be inspired by dimly lit rooms. I recommend you listen to “Quilt of Steam” in that exact environment. If you leave yourself open exclusively to the music, you will find that, due to its songwriting and atmospheric production, “Quilt of Steam” is immensely immersive and gleefully sentimental.
