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Photo: Isabella Rose Young

In a world increasingly oversaturated with calculated algorithms and pre-packaged pop, New Zealand’s Where’s Jai come crashing through with something genuinely refreshing: Fresh Out Of Air, their debut album that doubles as a diary of youth in free fall. It’s the kind of record you scream out of car windows at 2 a.m., equal parts catharsis and chaos, wrapped in crunchy guitar riffs and painfully relatable lyricism. 

We caught up with Where’s Jai to talk about the album. Here’s what they had to say.

Describe the album in only five words:

Fresh, Anthemic, Pop/Rock, Evocative, Harmonic.

From the first kick of the snare to the final fade-out, Fresh Out Of Air sounds like a band gasping for clarity in a world spinning too fast. And that’s no accident, Where’s Jai named their album to reflect exactly that: the panicked sensation of being cut off from something (or someone) vital. Like the name suggests, Fresh Out Of Air is not a breath of fresh air. It’s the sonic equivalent of losing it your breath, your balance, your grip on what the hell is going on and making peace with the mess along the way.

Each track feels like a snapshot from the band’s collective teenage years, stitched together into a singular coming of age patchwork quilt. Lyrically, they dive headfirst into the wreckage of messy situation ships, self-discovery, and those all too familiar late-night spirals. There’s no gloss here, just raw emotion dressed up in glittering pop/rock sensibilities. If growing pains had a sound, this would be it.

So who’s behind the magic? 

The band partnered once again with producer Christian Tjandrawinata, whose sonic fingerprints are all over this record. It’s a pairing that just works, he knows how to crank up the pop-rock engine without drowning out the vulnerability at its core. Think shimmering choruses, crunchy guitars, and the kind of hooks that stick around long after the final note.

And the songwriting? 

It’s as collaborative as it gets. While Grace and Leigh often come in with the seed of an idea be it a lyric or melody the rest of the band water it into something uniquely Where’s Jai. It’s organic, heartfelt, and deeply rooted in shared experience, which explains why every track feels like a full band effort. Nothing here feels phoned in.

If you’ve ever been 17 and heartbroken, 21 and lost, or somewhere in between, Fresh Out Of Air is going to hit hard. So go ahead throw it on, turn it up, and lose your breath. 

Catch Where’s Jai on tour:

• Hamilton – August 15th @ Last Place Bar

• Tauranga – August 16th @ The Jam Factory

• Wellington – August 23rd @ San Fran

• Whangarei – August 29th @ ONE ONE SIX

• Auckland – September 5th @ The Tuning Fork

Listen to "Fresh Out Of Air".