Galimatias uses his music to evoke a sense of lazy bliss. Yes, that’s what I’ll call it.

You may have heard of Galimatias (born Matias Køedt) from his 2015 EP, Urban Flora, that he did in tandem with vocalist Alina Baraz. This project would define their artistic prowess, amassing over 350+ million streams on Spotify alone. I’d have to assume neither of them knew the success it would bring, but they are taking full advantage of it.

Since then, Gali has been perfecting his craft. He’s released a handful of singles, culminating in Renaissance Boy, his first full length album. You get the same dreamy, weightless complexion of Urban Flora, except there’s far more depth. He’s able to showcase his growth by bringing in snippets of other genres. “Sly” transforms from slow, R&B to almost an islandy, drum and bass-type track, “Boy Hachi” is an international filler that features movie-like, cinematic samples, and “GPS” is hip-hop and soul-rap based. His sound has evolved into something far more deep.

Something else you’ll realize is he’s on vocals for 8 out of the 11 tracks on the album. Where did this voice come from??? DJ Booth had the same question in a recent 2020 interview. Gali admitted “Every time [he] put out a track, theres always some fear. It takes a minute to listen to it objectively, if that’s even possible. When [he] makes something, he’s super excited about it, and once [he] put it out, it’s the most cathartic and also the [scariest] moment.” Very refreshing to hear from someone so confident in his own sound.

This holiday season I’ve been re-running through Renaissance Boy nonstop, and also grappling with which track takes the top spot. I’ve narrowed it down to “Sly” in all its complexity, but also “GPS” and it’s sensual, hip-hop elements. Let’s take a look at Gali’s “GPS” and make it easy on ourselves (Admittedly, I don’t think I can dissect “Sly” and do it justice).

Galimatias bands together with Dreamville rapper Bas and R&B specialist Xavier Omär to create an underwater-soul masterpiece. It’s one of the slower songs on the album, but still has a lively nature to it. Gali owns the chorus while Bas and Xavier fill in the cracks with smooth versus. This song would be perfect around Valentines Day (right?), but I thought it was too good to wait.

On top of Gali’s catalog, he also has a 7-year-old mix series called Voyage. He recently dropped #5 this past October. I don’t think there’s a set release schedule… he kind of just tosses them out when he feels like it. My favorite is #4, which can be found here. 20-30 mins of zero gravity melodies to get loss in.

Galimatias usually takes his time, making sure his work is in pristine condition before he puts it out. We can all respect this. However, be on the lookout for some new Gali tunes in the first half of 2021. While we wait, run “GPS” and see what you think.