Artist: Jaguar Sun
Album: Daisy
Producer: Chris Minielly
Mixer: Chris Minielly
Recording Location(s): My apartment in Toronto
Label: Born Losers Records
How long did this album take to create from the first idea to the final master?
The first ideas for this record took form in June 2024 but by mid 2025 I scrapped a good chunk of the songs and almost started fresh. I feel like I just got this wave of clarity and inspiration and rolled with it. The earlier songs were sort of meshed into this period where I was learning to use Ableton for the first time. It took a moment for my production to really land in a spot that hit for me but when I got there it was all worth the trial and error. I also switched to playing in open D around that time and it led to so many song ideas! Probably 85% of the record came together following those decisions.
What art/media were you consuming while writing it (not necessarily direct influences, but maybe subconscious ones)?
I can rapid fire a good chunk of the bands I listened to through the course of writing / recording. Local the Neighbour, Hamburger, Broncho, TOLEDO, Great Grandpa, Men I Trust, Hovvdy, Love Seats, Bay Ledges, GOON, The Brudi Brothers, Alex G, Big Thief, Small Forward, Night Moves, Edwin Raphael, Coma Cinema, Fat, Evil Children, Alex Ebert, Toro Y Moi, Panda Bear, Auriél, Hank Midnight, The War On Drugs. I imagine in some form every single song I consumed in those two-ish years played some roll in how this record came out! A visual artist that I’ve always felt inspired by as well is Pat Perry. He captures these American midwest scenes that feel so familiar to my small hometown in Southern Ontario and it always strikes this wave of nostalgia.
What was your go-to piece of gear during recording?
My Mom’s old-ish Yamaha FG - 405 acoustic is pretty fundamental to the record. I really leaned into the acoustic layers in these songs. I mic’d it with a SE VR2 ribbon mic and would always layer in the D.I. tone too. I love how it sits so much. If I could throw in a little bonus pick I also have this tiny little 10w practice amp that was lying around my parents place forever. I mic’d it with the VR2 as well and the tones you get from it are unreal. The big lead tones at the end of “Everywhere” and the guitar solo-ish thing at the end of “It’s Kind” are from that thing. There’s a ton of rhythm layers I recorded across the record on it too. It breaks up so easily and sounds huge in a mix. (It’s a Grove Factory 10G, no clue when it was made).
Is there anything on the record you would change now if you could?
I think for maybe the first time ever there isn’t. I’m really proud of how these songs came out and for once I feel really at peace with them. It was my first time mastering my own music though and I know I can continue to grow there but I wouldn’t want to go back and change that now. It’s just something I can take into the next project.
What sounds on this record do you think people won't notice but you'll always hear?
It may be a noticeable sound, but pointing back to my go-to gear, I don’t think many people would guess that the lead guitar tones in “Everywhere” or the solo in “It’s Kind” are recorded on that cheap little practice amp. It makes me smile every time I hear those parts!
Is there anyone (or anything) whose fingerprints are on this album but won't get credit?
Hamilton Belk is the only other person who played on the record. He played the pedal steel part on “Home”. His name is on the vinyl but that could easily be missed! He’s such an incredible player, he also did the pedal steel on my record “All We’ve Ever Known” too. Beyond that the wood carvings featured on the cover art (but more heavily the vinyl sleeve and tour posters) were done by my late Grandpa. He was an incredibly creative person and a huge inspiration to me.
What movie would this album be the soundtrack to?
An alternate version of The Place Beyond The Pines where Ryan Gosling doesn’t die and we get to watch him rob banks on a motorbike for an hour and a half.
Is there a tempo, a key, a tuning, a texture that runs through this record?
Almost every track on the record was recorded in open d tuning. I was messing around with drop d after I heard Whitehouse Road by Tyler Childers and it reminded me how much I liked open tunings back when I learned guitar. I went a step further and put the guitar in open d and a wave of song ideas came flooding in. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break from standard tuning until I was there!
Anything else you want to say about the album?
I think just a final note that this record is a real love letter to DIY music. I wrote, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered it myself in my very untreated living room. There’s so much we can do with music these days with so little, it really feels like the most inspiring time to create. Get out there and get your ideas out, YouTube tutorials go a long way!
----------
Stream Daisy
Jaguar Sun Instagram
Order Daisy on Vinyl
Album: Daisy
Producer: Chris Minielly
Mixer: Chris Minielly
Recording Location(s): My apartment in Toronto
Label: Born Losers Records
How long did this album take to create from the first idea to the final master?
The first ideas for this record took form in June 2024 but by mid 2025 I scrapped a good chunk of the songs and almost started fresh. I feel like I just got this wave of clarity and inspiration and rolled with it. The earlier songs were sort of meshed into this period where I was learning to use Ableton for the first time. It took a moment for my production to really land in a spot that hit for me but when I got there it was all worth the trial and error. I also switched to playing in open D around that time and it led to so many song ideas! Probably 85% of the record came together following those decisions.
What art/media were you consuming while writing it (not necessarily direct influences, but maybe subconscious ones)?
I can rapid fire a good chunk of the bands I listened to through the course of writing / recording. Local the Neighbour, Hamburger, Broncho, TOLEDO, Great Grandpa, Men I Trust, Hovvdy, Love Seats, Bay Ledges, GOON, The Brudi Brothers, Alex G, Big Thief, Small Forward, Night Moves, Edwin Raphael, Coma Cinema, Fat, Evil Children, Alex Ebert, Toro Y Moi, Panda Bear, Auriél, Hank Midnight, The War On Drugs. I imagine in some form every single song I consumed in those two-ish years played some roll in how this record came out! A visual artist that I’ve always felt inspired by as well is Pat Perry. He captures these American midwest scenes that feel so familiar to my small hometown in Southern Ontario and it always strikes this wave of nostalgia.
What was your go-to piece of gear during recording?
My Mom’s old-ish Yamaha FG - 405 acoustic is pretty fundamental to the record. I really leaned into the acoustic layers in these songs. I mic’d it with a SE VR2 ribbon mic and would always layer in the D.I. tone too. I love how it sits so much. If I could throw in a little bonus pick I also have this tiny little 10w practice amp that was lying around my parents place forever. I mic’d it with the VR2 as well and the tones you get from it are unreal. The big lead tones at the end of “Everywhere” and the guitar solo-ish thing at the end of “It’s Kind” are from that thing. There’s a ton of rhythm layers I recorded across the record on it too. It breaks up so easily and sounds huge in a mix. (It’s a Grove Factory 10G, no clue when it was made).
Is there anything on the record you would change now if you could?
I think for maybe the first time ever there isn’t. I’m really proud of how these songs came out and for once I feel really at peace with them. It was my first time mastering my own music though and I know I can continue to grow there but I wouldn’t want to go back and change that now. It’s just something I can take into the next project.
What sounds on this record do you think people won't notice but you'll always hear?
It may be a noticeable sound, but pointing back to my go-to gear, I don’t think many people would guess that the lead guitar tones in “Everywhere” or the solo in “It’s Kind” are recorded on that cheap little practice amp. It makes me smile every time I hear those parts!
Is there anyone (or anything) whose fingerprints are on this album but won't get credit?
Hamilton Belk is the only other person who played on the record. He played the pedal steel part on “Home”. His name is on the vinyl but that could easily be missed! He’s such an incredible player, he also did the pedal steel on my record “All We’ve Ever Known” too. Beyond that the wood carvings featured on the cover art (but more heavily the vinyl sleeve and tour posters) were done by my late Grandpa. He was an incredibly creative person and a huge inspiration to me.
What movie would this album be the soundtrack to?
An alternate version of The Place Beyond The Pines where Ryan Gosling doesn’t die and we get to watch him rob banks on a motorbike for an hour and a half.
Is there a tempo, a key, a tuning, a texture that runs through this record?
Almost every track on the record was recorded in open d tuning. I was messing around with drop d after I heard Whitehouse Road by Tyler Childers and it reminded me how much I liked open tunings back when I learned guitar. I went a step further and put the guitar in open d and a wave of song ideas came flooding in. I didn’t realize how much I needed a break from standard tuning until I was there!
Anything else you want to say about the album?
I think just a final note that this record is a real love letter to DIY music. I wrote, recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered it myself in my very untreated living room. There’s so much we can do with music these days with so little, it really feels like the most inspiring time to create. Get out there and get your ideas out, YouTube tutorials go a long way!
----------
Stream Daisy
Jaguar Sun Instagram
Order Daisy on Vinyl