Get To Know... Daffo • Neu • DIY Magazine

Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

Although Daffo - the musical moniker of LA-based Gabi Gamberg - has been delighting those in the know since 2021’s ‘Crisis Kit’ EP, it’s with their hot-off-the-press debut album, ‘Where The Earth Bends’, that they’re cementing their status as one of indie’s most potent new voices. Having come to the guitar as a teenager after a decade of playing violin, they now wield their pen as a scalpel and their songs as a salve, dissecting emotional wounds (self-sabotaging coping mechanisms, long-distance rifts, and galling betrayal) with poignant precision before grungy riffs patch up the pain. To mark the LP’s arrival - and ahead of their stint supporting Wednesday on tour this Autumn - we caught up with Daffo to find out more about the story so far…

Hey Daffo! We’d love to get to know you a little better… can you introduce yourself in the form of a dating app bio?
I’m sorry, no - I don’t do dating apps anymore (for good reason).

What’s your earliest musical memory?
I remember I used to fall asleep during piano lessons when I was about five. I’d just nod off when my teacher was explaining something to me. One of the songs was called ‘The Happy Halibut’… I remember the name because I thought it was funny it had the word “butt” in it.

You’re based in LA, but much of your musical education happened in New Jersey. Tell us a bit more about these respective scenes; how do they compare, and what have you taken from each?
The Jersey DIY scene was so great. It was just young people putting on shows in their backyards and living rooms or wherever they could, and exploring and uplifting each other. I’m still friends with a lot of the people I met playing shows out there. I kind of miss it: low stakes, just having fun. With LA, I’m not sure I’m really a part of the scene yet. I’ve only been there a few months and most of the shows I’ve been playing since I moved have been on tour around the US. But it’s been really fun going to shows and meeting new people; I’m excited to settle into it a bit more.

“I think the more you know theory-wise, the more you know how to effectively break patterns and make them more interesting.”

You’ve just released your debut album, ‘Where The Earth Bends’ - congrats! Looking back on the writing and recording process now, was there a particular track or moment which ‘unlocked’ the record for you, or which really solidified your vision for it?
This is a tough question because I’m not really sure I had much of a vision for the record at all. I just wanted to make a compilation of great songs, and I think what unites them all are the themes of what I was going through at the time of writing the songs. I do remember that it was feeling a bit all over the place until ‘Dagger Song’ came along. I had a tough time with that song - I originally didn’t want it on the record, I didn’t think it was good enough. I was trying really hard to crack the lyrics. One day I just sat down and wrote every possible line for the song I could think of and pieced it together, and at the end of the day it clicked. Some songs are like that - you really have to work at them. And some songs, like ‘Carrot Fingers’, you barf out.

You come from a background of classical training - how do you think this informs or affects your approach to making music now? Have you found it to be a help or a hindrance in navigating the more DIY, indie world?
The funny thing is, all the classical training I had was only on the violin, and I couldn’t even tell you what chords I’m playing on the guitar. I think I benefited mostly from having developed a good ear from an early age. It definitely hasn’t been a hindrance; in fact, I think I could use some more classical training in my life. I think the more you know theory-wise, the more you know how to effectively break patterns and make them more interesting. But I can also see how it might box some people in.

If you could be in a band from the last two decades, who would you pick (and why)?
I think Dinosaur Jr. If I could play guitar like that and just play really loud and have these really energetic shows, it would be so fun.

Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making?
I’m not a very good cook, but I just learned how to make a good steak, which is arguably my favorite food. A nice bloody steak with bok choy and mushrooms and some rice, paired with a nice dry red wine. Mmmmm, I’m hungry.

‘Where The Earth Bends’ is out now via Concord Records.

#AD