Jeff Draco talks ti su about his latest release ‘Mirrors’, life in the social media era, and much more!

The summer may be behind us now and the rain has arrived in the UK but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own sunshine. Today, we’re doing that with Jeff Draco‘s most recent release ‘Mirrors’, a glistening summer indie anthem that will have you yearning for summer days at the beach.

Once you’ve gotten your ears around ‘Mirrors’ you should check out our interview with the man himself. We chat about the new single, influences, life in the social media age, and more!

Kieran: Hey Jeff, excited to be chatting with you today! How have you been?

Jeff: It’s great chatting with you, too. I’m good! I’m really excited to have “Mirrors,” the second single from my EP, out now. I just spent the last week on the water with my family at the Chesapeake Bay. It was nice to hang with family and to take a break and relax, but now I’m back into EP release mode, haha.

Kieran: How’s 2024 treating you so far?

Jeff: This year has been exciting. I’m finally at the point where I’m releasing my next project, and a lot of work has gone into making it over the past few years, creating the content for each song and the overall theme of Attitude. I’m so glad everyone will finally get to see and hear it all this year.

Kieran: What was the influence behind your latest single ‘Mirrors’?

Jeff: “Mirrors” was influenced by the start of a new relationship and falling head over heels. Really throwing it all to the wind to explore this new situation, one where you’d do anything for that person. Sonically, a lot of it is inspired by surf rock and the timelessness of summer.

Listen to ‘Mirrors’ here:

Kieran: Can you walk us through how you went about the writing and recording of this release?

Jeff: This is one of the few times on the EP where I knew what I wanted the song to be about before I started making it. A lot of times, I start with a chord progression or vocal melody, but this time I went into the song with the theme and meaning of the song and started with the lyrics first.

Kieran: Did you take any influence from any people or artists for this one?

Jeff: The influence was the start of a new relationship and falling head over heels for a person. Throwing it all to the wind to explore this new situation, one where you’d do anything for that person. Sonically, it’s one of my most surf-rock-inspired songs and sounds. Bands like Royel Otis, Sun Room, Surf Trash, Ocean Alley, and Husbands provided a lot of inspiration for this track.

Kieran: In general, what artists have influenced you and why?

Jeff: Hmm—this changes a lot! In general, I take inspiration from Paul McCartney’s RAM and 80s English new wave like Haircut100, The English Beat, The Cure, Prefab Sprout, etc. Mac DeMarco, Gus Dapperton, Dayglow, and the Grateful Dead have always inspired me, too.

Kieran: How do you feel about social media and do you think it is possible to have balance?

Jeff: A lot of artists have started to be vocal about how they feel about social media and how relentless it can be posting so regularly. It can definitely get exhausting to post so much and take time away from other things. It’s definitely one of the main ways to get music out there. I try to find balance by spending time outside and taking time in between the relentless posting schedule to take time for myself.

Kieran: Lastly, what else can we expect from you in 2024?

Jeff: I’m excited to share that my new EP, Attitude, is out on September 13th! I’m really proud of this project, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. I wrote, recorded, and produced the entire EP, and Patrick Kehrier (Paramore, Waterparks, Dua Lipa, Lizzo) mixed and mastered it. It’s also the first time my music will be released on vinyl, so we’ll have a limited amount available for pre-sale soon and hopefully in a few stores around Washington, D.C. in the near future. My EP release show is at Union Stage in DC on Saturday, October 5th, and we have more shows we’re announcing soon on JeffDraco.com.

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