Jay was born in Chula Vista, California on January 1, 1978 and soon moved to Harbor City, Los Angeles.

It included a cover of the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Lunar Camel" and a version of Blondie's "Angels on the Balcony".

[2] The EP was described by Pitchfork as a "cryptic, compelling short" with "half-crooned, half-spoken vocals into a bed of interlocking guitars, rigid beats, and analogue synths, creating an air of mystery out of disconnected images.

[5] A video for "Beautiful Rebel" directed by Austin Lovell was shot at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles.

A video for "Heavenly Creatures" directed by Bryce Kass of Daft Arts was hailed by The Fader.

[6] In 2009, Jay released Slow Dance,[7] which was critically acclaimed by Pitchfork for its "frail ingeniousness" with "a warm inviting space".

The Guardian wrote that Jay's "biggest asset" is songs that "appear to come unpremeditated from his heart" like Jonathan Richman.

In 2010, Jay described his third album, Splash,[10] as "Pavement meets Evol-era Sonic Youth played by Siouxsie Sioux.

In November, he formed the band Dyspotian Violet with several musicians including bassist Frank Wright.