Scottish dance and electronic artist Sam Gellaitry released his seemingly overdue debut studio album, “ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT,” on Nov. 7. After producing and releasing music for over a decade and working with notable artists like PinkPantheress, Kaytranada and Don Toliver, Gellaitry has seemingly found stability with Parlophone Records, having signed to the label in 2021.
The album has a very consistent set of tracks, for better and for worse. All the instrumentals are of good quality, but there is too much similarity between a couple of tracks, which makes the overall listening experience less memorable.
There are several seamless transitions between the songs, but in this case, they merely serve to point out the little variation between most of the tracks.
For example, the transition between the final two tracks, “DON’T TRY” and “YOU MIGHT FIND THE ONE,” carries over the drums from the former into the first part of the ladder, so that there is no abrupt break between the songs. In this case, it makes it harder to tell each track apart from the rest, and I think Gellaitry could have benefited from displaying a greater range of instrumentation.
The limited range in his vocals also proves to blend a lot of the tracks together. For this album, and quite frankly most of Gellaitry’s work, the production and instrumentation are where the focus is, with the vocals taking a back seat.
The vocals are used more as a complementary aspect with the instrumentals, and they aren’t exactly the kind that would stick with me to the point that I’d be able to sing along.
The track “LIGHTNING” has a memorable instrumental and is probably the most notable non-single. I wish that the album kept up the bold energy of “LIGHTNING” throughout more than half of the work, because the later tracks are forgettable when looking at the whole.
The consistent vibe and quality of the album make it so that all the tracks work well for the same purpose. If you’re looking to fulfill a specific electronic niche on your playlist, any one of these will do, though I recommend “NERVOUS,” “LIGHTNING” and “ON&ON.”
Although he’s been releasing music for a while now, I still see greater potential for his next big release. Though he could benefit from taking more risks, Gellaitry nonetheless solidifies a consistent sound on “ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT.
