“Anyone who knows me has probably caught me daydreaming [or] accused me of daydreaming,” Kaiti Jones tells American Songwriter. “All of my memories from childhood in school involve teachers saying, ‘She’s really bright, but she has trouble paying attention.’”
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It’s fitting then, that the self-proclaimed daydreamer and singer-songwriter Kaiti Jones, should include an ode to her fellow daydreamers on her upcoming LP Tossed, which debuts March 5th. Her song, “Daydreaming,” premieres today and is the third single to be released off of the album.
“Daydreaming” leans into the indie-folk camp and includes a specific raw and sprawling sound. Through this single, Jones offers a comforting voice to those who also like to wander. “I think this song was me reclaiming that narrative in a positive way,” Jones explained.
“And in a way that was like, ‘Okay, I think this thing about me, getting lost in thought… isn’t necessarily this bad thing or this negative thing that it’s often been framed out…. I think this is creativity,” she adds. “I think this is introspection. I think this is just not blocking out the parts of my brain that are asking to be explored.’”
By reclaiming her story, Jones created a song that is strikingly sensible and occasionally humorous. One example are the lyrics, I’m sorry I missed that highway exit / I was busy thinking ‘bout babies.
Another instance that flexes Jones’ versatile songwriting ability are the opening lines, I’m sorry I did not answer your question / I was busy writing my eulogy. “I think that is probably my favorite line,” Jones says.
“I love performing it because… there’s always this mix of uncomfortability [and] laughter,” Jones continued. “But it is kind of a provocative line that I always enjoy seeing people’s reactions to because it’s a bit of an absurd line. But it’s also, I think if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s probably something that we’ve thought about from time to time. Like, what will happen when I’m no longer here?”
“Daydreaming” meanders on after Jones’ tactful opening and into soft melodies accompanied by stripped-down instrumentals. Jones emphasized that for this song, she “wanted there to be no distractions so that you have to focus on the words…. it was important to me to really not have a lot going on. So I would say this is probably the most stripped-down and folk acoustic sounding song on the album.”
Produced this way, “Daydreaming” emerges with a natural, but well-polished soundscape. Jones only brought in her good friends Alisa Amador and Emily Baker to sing the harmonies and play the fiddle, respectively.
Additionally, Jones wanted to create a song that would help others reclaim their own stories. She clarified that daydreaming could be a metaphor for other areas of stress in listeners’ lives; daydreaming can represent a different journey. And on our journeys, Jones prescribes that we be “a little bit kinder to the parts of ourselves that maybe we don’t love all the time.”
“Daydreaming” successfully calls all the daydreamers home for a song. The other eight songs on Tossed, also possess versions of “Daydreaming”’s gentleness. “I’m really proud of this album,” Jones concluded.
“I feel like I brought myself wholly and stuck to it. Worked with amazing people that brought it to life in ways both that I had imagined and in ways that I couldn’t have. I think I’m just trying to tell true stories. It’s what I’ve always been trying to do, but I think I’ve learned more about myself through the years.”
Listen to the premiere of “Daydreaming” below and watch for the full release of Tossed on March 5th.
Photo by Paula Champagne
