I had planned to officially drop an EP before the end of the year, but life got in the way, so instead I’m sharing this—DEMO CD 2023. Think of it like a video game demo disk off a cover of PlayStation magazine in 2002, except it’s music. And it’s made by me. And you can buy it now on Bandcamp!

(You can also listen on Soundcloud if that is your jam 😌)

I’m trying to find new ways of sharing music outside of big traditiional releases because they take a lot of time and can be very expensive. Playing live is my favourite way of sharing works in progress, but live shows are inaccessible for a lot of people, so I thought this might be another fun option! This release won’t go on streaming, but the songs on it will all get official big releases one day hopefully ✨

Liner Notes

1. In Realtime

“take a deep breathe and forget about all that, you’re here in the present now, for now, for now”

In Realtime came out of nowhere. I sat down at my desk one Saturday, opened a new Logic session, and just made it. It happened so quickly. I started it at 10am and submitted the mastered track to streaming at 11pm. One of the rare times I just get in the zone and every new idea builds perfectly on the last. It feels like a perfect evolution of what I’ve done before and what new attitudes I want to draw out from my music going forward. A blessing. 🙏

2. I Hope It Makes Me Feel Better (Demo)

I wrote I Hope It Makes Me Feel Better in the months waiting for my ADHD screening session, trying to plan ahead but not really being sure what was going to happen. During that time I also decided to leave the label I had been signed to for the last few years, which was really the last thing holding me to a dream I’d had an unhealthy obsession with since starting Wolfjay. Of moving to NYC and being a part of the music community there. It all fell apart at the start of COVID but has been hard to let go off.

This song is about time moving very fast, and the future running at you at full speed, but also about understanding that this moment will feel like it happened a long time ago in the very near future. I’m trying to do my best, despite everything.

“i’ll do things when i’m ready to, album was due on the third of june. 2023’s getting closer, 2023’s going quickly, 2023 was so long ago.”

3. Personality ft. Ella Stik (Demo)

This song fucking rips. It’s very silly and very fun. I’ve played it at a few shows lately and just lands so well every time. Maybe the most fun wolfjay song? Also features someone from the internet that I’m a big fan of <3 long live ella stik 💗

photo by Dave McCarthy from my last show of the year. the file corrupted when I tried to save it from ig but I like it :)

4. All Along ft. Crook & Shahrae (Slowed and Reverbed Edit)

“and i’ll pass you in the street, pretend I don’t recognise your face, anymore, anymore, anymore — remember a memory of me, and realise it was a lie, all along, all along, all along”

An edit, of a remix, of one of my own songs, featuring my friends Crook & Shahrae. A silly idea executed with complete sincerity and conviction. Dropping early 2023 alongside the standard edit. Stay tuned 🦋

5. Damned (Demo)

Wolfjay brutalist pop mode? A song about how soul wrenching it can be to get romantically involved with a friend, deliberately blurring lines and then struggling to get a clear view of the situation.

It’s not perfect, yet, but I’m super proud of the lyrics and production on this song. I wrote it with naarm/melb nb angel Guthrie who breathed so much life into it.

“feels like I’ve lived this night before, backroom of a share house that I used to know, my chem on the boom, all our friends are gone, i’m making eyes at you, you’re making eyes at me as well”

“damned if we do, damned if we don’t, we can take it slow, we can take it anywhere, said you don’t know how to keep this cool, it’s all new for you, but it’s all new for me as well”

“i just wanna hang out all night, fuck around, make you laugh, get high, try not to think about the way this feels, i’m just happy to feel comfortable around someone else at last”

5. Pretty (Demo)

This one is very early on in development still but fuck it—I think it rips. If people are dancing to it at shows there’s no reason you can’t dance to it at home now as well 🧡 will likely change a bunch and I have no idea when it’ll officially drop so here it is, in it’s current beautiful and unfinished form. Pretty.

“i’m sick of waiting, it’s debilitating, when the features of your face, don’t match your heart”

thank u for checking out my little demo cd! I hope it’s made you smile and dance and process feelings and thoughts like it’s done for me while making it.

🫶 tysm 💗