Jeff Draco warms up to a new day with his uniquely intimate performance video Freezing In Hollywood (Sunrise Sessions) — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Idyllic and peaceful, the home-made video — filmed on a boat in the waters off Maryland — sees the rising bedroom-pop artist performing his recent EP Freezing In Hollywood in its entirety as the sun awakens the East Coast.
“I woke up early one morning at my grandparents’ house on the Chesapeake Bay right before sunrise in July,” Draco says. “I hopped on their boat and recorded a laid-back, stripped session of my EP Freezing In Hollywood as the sun rose over the bay.”
Released in July, the EP finds the young artist delving deeper into writing the relatable and vulnerable lyrics he’s become known for while connecting with longtime friend and cohort Grant Claytor to hone in on his sound and deliver a cohesive, must-hear project that is lighthearted and summer-ready yet still pensive and revealing.
“Freezing In Hollywood is a collection of songs I’ve written over the past three years,” Draco says. “A lot has changed in my life while working on this EP, some good, some bad, and I think this project exemplifies that. These songs touch on love, infatuation, self-reflection, pain, and more; it’s a rollercoaster of emotions.
“Despite the name, this project has nothing to do with Hollywood. The idea of FIH is more so the feeling when you can be at your highest and best while also feeling like everything isn’t right or what you thought it would be. I want FIH to be something people can grasp onto — whether in a sad place or your happiest place.
“This project is the first in which I’ve really looked outward. I worked with friend and collaborator Grant Claytor, who co-produced this project, and brought a new light to these songs. Bringing in Grant caused me to revisit several of the songs after feeling stuck and not feeling like they had reached their max potential. After three years, I’ve made my best project yet.”
Claytor adds: “Jeff has a knack for writing a catchy song no matter the mood, evident by Feel So Gold and Freezing In Hollywood, and I was so stoked to be able to work on this EP and help bring his ideas to fruition. I’ve known and appreciated Jeff’s music for a couple years now, so working together on his demos was a joy.”
Draco is a 22-year-old musician from Maryland fusing kaleidoscopic dream pop with vibrant beach rock sensibilities to create euphoric music. Part of a musical family, Jeff found his sonic footing at an early age. In addition to featuring on Diamond Youth’s Topshelf Records EP Don’t Lose Your Cool, the rising artist also performed in various bands throughout his high school years before venturing on his own in 2017.
From house shows to D.C. venues and Firefly Festival 2019, Draco toured his 2018 debut album Paradise across the East Coast while establishing himself as one of indie pop’s newest must-hear artists. Along the way, he also shared the singles Dreamgirl and For Too Long, with the latter earning more than 180,000 streams and becoming the lead single off his six-song EP 2101.
Watch Jeff Draco perform Freezing In Hollywood in its eitirety above, listen to the EP below, and find him at his website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
