San Diego-born alt-pop artist Jaeden Boyett has released WAVES, his debut album exploring queer identity, heartbreak and mental health through a collection of songs rooted in personal experiences.
Recorded in a DIY bedroom studio, the album brings together alternative pop production and candid songwriting, with its tracklist following the emotional highs and lows of relationships. Boyett worked with producers Renzo Torino and Michael Harrison, treating the room acoustically using pillows, blankets, heavy comforters and soundproof foam panels, and built a home-recording setup for the project.
The album opens with “Paranorman”, inspired by the Laika animated film. Boyett has spoken about identifying with its queer-coded protagonist growing up, a connection that informs the song’s exploration of identity and self-perception.
“Grapes Under the Table” draws on Wheatus’ cinematic approach to songwriting, using a fictional premise to explore betrayal and heartbreak. The following track, “Diving Board”, addresses suicidal thoughts, bringing mental health into the album’s examination of difficult emotional experiences.
The ocean-inspired tracklist builds towards “unsaid”, which centres on the decision to stop pursuing a relationship that has run its course. Rather than presenting the ending as a definitive resolution, Boyett frames it as the close of one chapter.
“If WAVES teaches anyone anything, I hope it teaches people that it’s okay to be messy,” Boyett says. “It is okay to feel. It is okay to hurt.”
The album follows Boyett’s debut EP, just for now, and continues the approach heard on earlier single “clothing rack”, which pairs self-deprecating lyrics with an upbeat instrumental. Across WAVES, he draws on personal experiences to explore the complications of relationships and the process of moving forward.
Boyett is scheduled to perform at Hotel Ziggy in Los Angeles on 4 November, alongside an event involving We Found New Music and Off The Record.
Listen to WAVES on Spotify:
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