Delta’s “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” is The Sound of Staying Up Too Late Thinking About Everything

Delta’s music doesn’t knock at the door, it drifts in like a fog and lingers like a feeling you can’t name. The NYC-born project sits somewhere between indie rock, alternative experimental, and late-night soul-searching, serving up songs that feel less like traditional compositions and more like lucid daydreams caught on tape.

Now, ahead of their upcoming self-written album dropping this October, Delta is offering a two-part single that feels like both a goodbye and a beginning. “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” wasn’t part of the original plan; it emerged after the rest of the record was finished. But it doesn’t feel like an afterthought. It feels like the final missing piece.

The album as a whole was never meant to be a solo mission. Delta originally wrote many of the songs with the intention of collaborating—sending pieces to musicians around the world, blending genres and voices. But somewhere along the way, the vision changed. Instead of outsourcing the emotion, Delta turned inward. And what emerged is a body of work built from sleepless nights, internal dialogue, and thoughts that had never made it out of the brain until now.

The result is immersive and intimate—sometimes lo-fi and hushed, sometimes explosive and euphoric, always emotionally resonant. “This album is like repeating the phrase ‘this too shall pass’ in different sonic forms,” Delta explains. “It’s about not dwelling. It’s about ego death. It’s about doing what you have to do to move forward. Otherwise, what’s the point of life, right?”

That philosophy is fully captured in “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon,” a two-part journey that mirrors the emotional arc of the album itself. “Better Days” opens with tight, subdued verses—anxious, quiet, almost claustrophobic- before blooming into a euphoric, triumphant chorus that sounds like the sun finally rising after a storm. “Hazy Afternoon” follows as the comedown, dreamy, nostalgic, and beautifully resigned. Together, the two songs form a perfect yin and yang of emotional processing.

What makes “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” even more special is its spontaneous creation. The album was done. The story had been told. But this track showed up fully formed, written in a single session. And suddenly, the narrative had a new ending—one that felt less like a period and more like an ellipsis.

Delta’s DIY approach gives the single a raw magic that’s hard to replicate. It’s not over-produced or overly engineered. It’s vulnerable, a little messy, and fully human. It sounds like late-night thoughts spilled out on a four-track, but dressed up in shoegaze sparkle and experimental edge.

There’s no need to overanalyze the lyrics—Delta’s strength lies in vibe and atmosphere. “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” evokes that weird emotional limbo where you’re exhausted from hoping, but still too stubborn to stop. It’s for anyone who’s ever said “I’m fine” out loud but meant “I’m barely holding it together” in their head.

Delta doesn’t expect you to decode hidden meanings or catch every reference. “I just hope people enjoy the vibe,” they say. And that’s the beautiful paradox of this project. It’s deeply personal and emotionally dense, but it’s also effortless to listen to. You don’t need to know the backstory to feel the weight of that chorus. You don’t need to understand the entire album to lose yourself in this track.

In a music culture saturated with content engineered for 15-second consumption, “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” feels like a quiet rebellion. A reminder that sometimes the most impactful music is the kind that simply gives you space to feel.

With their October album on the horizon, Delta is only just beginning to show what solo artistry can do. And if this two-part single is the final puzzle piece, it’s also a powerful preview of what’s to come.

What inspired you to release “Better Days / Hazy Afternoon” as a two-part single, and how does it tie into the rest of the album?

'Hazy Afternoon' was actually the first song I wrote for this upcoming album, and when I wrote 'Better Days', I thought the story carried through pretty well.

You mentioned this track came after the album was technically finished—how did that influence its sound or message?

'On and On' did end up being written after the rest of the album was finished. I was trying to figure out the track listing and thought something was missing. Once I realized I needed a closing song, I thought about how I wanted it to sound, which was sort of cinematic and abrupt, leaving listeners on an edge. In a way, the album as a whole helped shape 'On and On'

There’s a dreamlike quality to your music. What role do atmosphere and mood play in your songwriting process?

That is such a compliment, thank you! I like to create a vibe while building a track, creating different parts and sections, and then organizing my thoughts like putting together a puzzle.

You’ve worked in bands and writing teams before—how has going fully solo changed your creative process or perspective?

Working on my own has made me think differently because in bands and writing rooms, you have other people to bounce ideas off of. When I’m by myself, I tend to question everything, so I try out dozens of sounds for each synth, different parts for each guitar line, different harmonies, etc., because I have a hundred different ideas for each song. Sometimes I’ll have three wildly different versions of the same song. Comparing that to working with other people, decisions tend to have to be made quicker. Basically, i’m super indecisive unless I really hit a groove, which I feel like I did with ‘On and On’, so I really hope everyone enjoys it as much as i do.

If this song represents the emotional resolution of the album, what do you want listeners to carry with them after it ends?

It’s more a feeling than an idea that I want to leave listeners with. That feeling when you’re dreaming and you know it, is the vibe I like to create when writing a lot of the music. That's why I named the album 'Lucid Dreams’, its sort of a comfortable but also unsettling place to be.