New Music: Daily J

We pick the hottest new live acts so you can tell your friends you heard them first. This week's pick is New Zealand indie-psych four-piece Daily J.

Ticketmaster New Music is your one-stop destination to discover the best emerging live acts before they explode. These are the artists we’re expecting to make waves in the live music scene, and we want you to know about them first.

Auckland, New Zealand indie-psych band Daily J are bringing the positive vibes we definitely need to get us through the last part of the winter stretch. Made up of brothers Jayden, Jesse, and Jonny alongside their mate Rick, the up and coming rockers have been winning hearts and ears over the last few years with their infectious, sunshine-bright tunes.

The four-piece have been on a roll since they released their debut EP The Other Side back in 2017, and since then the trio of singles that has followed – ‘By The Sea’, ‘Black Lagoon’ (which we gushed about here), and their most recent tune ‘Left Me Like Summer’ – have all continued to showcase what Daily J do best. If you like dreamy instrumentals, gorgeous harmonies, slinky guitar lines, smooth vocals, and choruses that’ll be stuck in your head for days – make no mistake, this is where your attention should be.

They’ve just announced their first-ever headline tour around New Zealand and with their second EP on the way, now is the time to get acquainted with Daily J.

The Story

From the beginning

Daily J: “As three of us in the band are brothers, we started making music together at a young age. Jayden (frontman) and Jesse (saxophone, keys, vocals) used to play at local wineries and cafes back home in Blenheim. Mum, Vonny Paul, is a singer and painter. She brought us up singing, teaching us how to harmonise. There was always music playing in the house, whether it was us, or mum’s old Phillips radio blasting away.”

What you’ll hear

Jayden Paul (vocals/guitar): “We weren’t brought up listening to classic rock bands or pop music. Mum and dad didn’t play a lot of secular music in the house, so from a young age, I was writing and making my own songs. As I gained my independence I started listening to the likes of Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys so my tastebuds thickened and I enjoyed something new.”

Influences & inspiration

Daily J: “Family and friends are pretty important to us. If Daily J ever did make some money we’d love to buy our parents some nice old cars and a house by the water. And shout our mates over to Thailand for a hurrah.”

For the love of music

Daily J: “Music is a great release for us. We love expressing ourselves through what we play and sing about. There’s always a rush when discovering a smooth melody or a catchy bass line.”

Kicking goals

Daily J: “Our single ‘Black Lagoon’ has been doing pretty well. It’s our first song to be aired on national radio and also the first song we made a music video for. ”

The year ahead

Daily J: “This year is busier than ever for Daily J. We just released another single called ‘Left Me Like Summer’ and we’ve just finished tracking a new EP. We also just announced a New Zealand tour – our first one ever. Pretty dang excited.”

Essential Listening

Daily J – By The Sea

“‘By The Sea’ was actually written in my bedroom in the freezing Marlborough winter. I was reminiscing on everything the kiwi beaches bring in summer and wrote it all down. Anything to try and transport myself there.”

By the Sea

Watch this video on YouTube

Daily J – The Other Side EP

“When we moved from little old Blenheim to the big city (Auckland) it was all a little brash. We wanted to release music but didn’t have the money to record. Jayden moved up and recorded our first EP with a dusty old Mac and a cheap midi keyboard. Using 808 drums and basic samples hidden in logic, The Other Side EP was born. To this day ‘Space’ is still our most-streamed song which was recorded in a boarders room in Takanini, South Auckland.”

Space