For All the Drifters (2000–2004) Justin Daly joined the
indie rock band For All the Drifters in 2000 while studying
music composition and art at
Greenville College. The band relocated to Nashville in 2001 and released three
EPs:
For All the Drifters (2001),
We Can Make Mistakes EP (2003), and
Drifter EP (2004). Daly performed with the group until they disbanded in 2004.
Paper Route (2006–2018) In 2006, former For All the Drifters members
Chad Howat and Daly recruited Andy Smith to form
Paper Route. In August 2006, the band released their self-titled EP, followed by
A Thrill of Hope in December 2006. Paper Route toured through 2007 and signed with
Universal Motown in December 2008, following the release of
All We Are, the band's third EP. Paper Route's full-length debut,
Absence, was released in April 2009 and reached No. 13 on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart. The band independently released their second full-length record,
The Peace of Wild Things, on September 11, 2012 after Universal Motown ceased operations. The album reached No. 8 on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart. Paper Route released their third full-length album,
Real Emotion, on September 23, 2016, which charted on the
Billboard Heatseekers chart, reaching No. 12.
Mad Wave (2018–present) The indie
psych-rock group Mad Wave (initially named The Voodoo Children) was established in 2018 by Daly and Nikki Barber with their first single, "Tangerines & Daffodils".
Solo work (2010-present) In 2012, Daly released his debut solo album,
Memory. The same year, he released a cover of the Christmas song "
Silver Bells", in collaboration with
Brandi Cyrus. In February 2014, Daly released
The Blackest Bird under JT Daly & The Blood Orchestra. In 2019, Daly was featured on the song “
Tangled Up” by Chanele McGuinness. He is also credited as a co-writer, alongside McGuinness and Josh Lippi
. Visual art Daly began working as a visual artist in 2004 at
Teleprompt Records, where he remained until 2006. At Teleprompt, he designed artwork for the company's roster, including
Mutemath. He has also created visual art for musicians including
Wilco,
Paramore,
Sufjan Stevens, and
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. In 2006, Daly began work on SS Mechanics (Sight and Sound), a multimedia project with Daniel James of the
folktronica band
Canon Blue. SS Mechanics created a multimedia installation with poet
Bradley Hathaway. They also released a print-only version of the SS Handbook, a book containing paintings and poetry by Daly and James. Later that year, Daly was the creator, director, and producer of the music video for
Edison Glass's "This House". The clip was screened at film festivals including
The Chicago International Film Festival,
The Nashville Film Festival, and The Imagination Film Festival. He was nominated for a
Dove Award (Short Form Music Video of the Year) in 2007. Other visual works include
Bed Time Stories (2013),
MonstersINairports (2012),
KIDZ (2010),
The Body Is a Kingdom,
The Kingdom Is Beautiful, and
Architechnopoly. He also designed for Griffin Technology and the band
Paramore.
Songwriting and Production credits (2009-present) Daly and Chad Howat contributed an instrumental track, "The Music," to the 2009 film
500 Days of Summer. Daly co-wrote and produced several tracks on Sarah Macintosh's 2011 album,
Current. Daly was featured on the Camp America track, "Leader of the Pack." Daly produced and co-wrote tracks on
K.Flay's
Crush Me EP, including the
alt rock track "
Blood in the Cut". Daly co-wrote and produced the tracks "Blood in the Cut," "Champagne", "Hollywood Forever", "You Felt Right", and "Slow March" from K.Flay's 2017 album,
Every Where Is Some Where. His contributions to
Every Where Is Some Where earned him two
Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song ("Blood in the Cut") and Best Engineered Album. Daly continued to write and produce tracks with K.Flay for her
Solutions (2019),
Inside Voices / Outside Voices (2022), and
Mono (2023) albums. Daly co-wrote and produced tracks on
Pvris's album, "
Evergreen" and single, "
Hallucinations," which
Billboard ranked as the No. 1 alternative and rock song of 2019. He also co-wrote and produced tracks on
K.Flay's album
Every Where Is Some Where with the single "
Blood in the Cut", receiving Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Engineered Album for his work. and
Quinn XCII. In 2019, Daly produced
Hallucinations, the third EP from American alternative rock band
Pvris. == Awards ==