My Own Desert Island is the solo project of Jake Pachasa, drummer of Ohio emo bands Equipment (who put out the very good All You Admire EP last fall) and Waving. Jake released some demos last year, and now he’s gearing up for his debut EP. Ahead of that, we’re premiering the proper studio version of “Poor Paradise,” which appeared in a more stripped down form on last year’s demo.

“I had been working on music pretty regularly while Equipment and Waving were playing shows,” Jake says. “I didn’t feel any rush to put anything out since my other projects were super active. I didn’t have a name yet and I was cool with being patient with my music for once lol. I have over 10 songs demoed and were about ready to record an EP with Steve Warstler (who did Madrigal and Mat Kerekes stuff) after this release.”

“As for the name, I saw Conor Oberst live for the first time in 2019 and it was an amazing show. I heard the song ‘Desert Island Questionnaire’ and got super emotional. I’ve never felt so connected to an artist at a show before. The desert island imagery always seems to be presented as desperate or sad, and I feel the opposite. I like to think regularly about the most important things in my life and how I spend my time to support those things. I also write alone a lot and mention that in my songs, so My Own Desert Island kinda feels right. Whether I’m playing live or full band, too. I feel like this project offers me a wide range of creative outlets.”

As for how it sounds, Conor Oberst is a good comparison for that too. “Poor Paradise” is a melancholic, emo-y folk song and if you’re into Conor, Kevin Devine, and other stuff in that realm, you should check it out. Listen and watch the video: