For Brooklyn-based artist Daffo, the summer is certainly about to pick up. Fresh off of a run of tour dates in Europe, they're already headed back on the road, with a string of dates supporting Annie DiRusso that includes a Sunday night stop at Vivarium on Milwaukee's East Side. Following that, they'll be supporting Blondeshell with a run of east coast tour dates. Not bad for an artist that has two EPs out and a handful of singles without a full-length debut. In between tour stints, we talked about what is about to be a whirlwind summer, and their appreciation for jeans from Bandit:

OMC: You just got off of tour in Europe, and now you're immediately going right back on tour. Does it feel like things are moving quickly right now?

Daffo: I mean, I feel like as soon as I turned like 16, every year was just ramping up more and more and more. It seems like my trajectory is just more chaotic as life goes on. I don't know if that's just something that happens as you get older or not. I guess I'm in a very unique situation. But yeah, it's definitely a whirlwind, and it's also so exciting.

It's funny, though, because I do a lot of sitting around when I'm not on tour, and I'm not recording. I just kind of hang out and do nothing. I'm still trying to figure out what my life is between doing all of that stuff. So it's like, either everything is like crazy, and I'm like on tour, I'm recording, and I'm just like busy, busy busy, or I'm just like sitting at home like doing absolutely nothing, wondering what to do with myself. It's kind of funny juxtaposition, but it's definitely a lot, but I love it.

OMC: Oh, the things I would do to just be able to sit around. Let me tell you.

Daffo: When I'm on tour, and I'm like, "go," everything's crazy. I'm like "God, I wish I was just doing nothing right now" and then, as soon as I'm doing nothing, I'm like "God, I wish I was on tour right now."

OMC: Were your most recent shows in the UK your first time playing in Europe?

Daffo: Yeah, that was my first time playing abroad. It was my first time in Europe. It was actually my second time outside of the country, other than playing Canada.

OMC: Now you'll be touring with Annie DiRusso. How did you guys initially get connected?

Daffo: I kind of found her on Instagram. I think she followed me on Instagram a while ago, because I think she found my music, and I knew of her, and I loved her music. So we were just Instagram friends for a little bit. We talked a little bit on there and then we really hit it off. Then she asked me to come on tour, and I was like, "hell yeah." I actually met her in the UK, because we were both playing the Great Escape Festival. So we finally met in person, and it was really fun.

OMC: Now you guys will get to spend plenty of time together in the next few days.

Daffo: Yeah, I'm seeing her play tonight in New York.

OMC: Speaking of playing live, the first thing that jumps out to me when I hear your music is that there's a lot of vulnerability in your songwriting. That requires being willing to put yourself out there when that when you're playing live. Is it hard to see people in the room while you're playing these kinds of songs? It seems like it would be very personal to you.

Daffo: In some ways I think it's easier to play live than to write the song and put it out into the world. I have no control over like how it's gonna be received. It's like once you record a song and you put it out there, people will take it however they're going to take it. But live, I think they get kind of a bigger picture like I'm able to convey with the emotion of the song. Maybe a little bit more than I'm able to in a recording. It honestly just makes me feel more connected. I'm of the philosophy that if people think I'm sharing too much, or if they don't connect with it, then they probably won't remember the next day, anyway. I'm just trying to connect with the people that I connect with, and I'm happy to be able to do that, especially when people know the songs, and they're excited about me playing songs that I wrote alone in my room, feeling horrible. I get to come out and see that people are connecting. It makes me feel like I'm not going through these things for no reason, or I'm able to kind of disperse or disintegrate the intensity of the emotion a little bit more. I'm able to share it in a way that makes it a little less heavy for me, and maybe makes it a little less heavy for the person listening, so it feels more real to me when I get to share my music that way.

OMC: I'm assuming that has to be the best feeling in the world, though, when you see people reacting positively and maybe even singing along the songs, now.

Daffo: It's one of the best feelings in the world, and I don't think I'm ever going to get used to it.

OMC: You're coming to the Midwest. Have you gotten to experience this part of the country before as an artist?

Daffo: Milwaukee is actually my favorite place to play on tour. I know it's kind of random. I didn't expect it. I've played Vivarium twice already. I think after I play this show, after I've played three times, I might have been the person that has played Vivarium the most, because it just opened. 

I love the people in Milwaukee. I get all the best jeans in Milwaukee too for some reason. There's this one thrift store that I really like called Bandit. Every time I go, for some reason I find a good pair of jeans, and I can't find good jeans like anywhere else. But I really like Milwaukee. I have a good hot dog at that place right down the street from Vivarium all the time.

The crowd is always just like incredible. If you have a crowd in New York you might think like Chicago, New York, L.A. are going to be like your biggest, most rowdy crowds, but I feel like in the Midwest, or like places that are like a little bit more random to me, or places that I haven't really been a lot. Those audiences are just more stoked on the music. Maybe they're less overstimulated. I don't know what it is, but I just love it.

OMC: You're one of us now. I'm calling it.

You can check out Daffo opening for Annie DiRusso on Sunday night at Vivarium. Tickets are available now via the Pabst Theater Group website.