Galantis and East & Young – Make Me Feel

“I can identify two things wrong with this.”

Tom: Another EDM track sent in by one of our readers, with some very guarded praise: it’s good for “some middle-of-the-set action”.

Tom: And again, our reader isn’t wrong. There’s nothing wrong with this at all – Galantis know what they’re doing, and whoever East & Young are, they do too. But for some reason, it isn’t as fun to listen to as yesterday’s collaboration; what’s missing?

Tim: See, I’d dispute the “nothing wrong with this”, because I can identify two things off bat that link directly to your lack of fun comment. First up: the verses. The chorus is happy, chirpy, pleasing. The verses, though, despite having a similarly almost unintelligible vocal, comes across very much more low key, bringing a bit of a downer every time one comes along. Good intro, downer, improvement in the pre-chorus, great chorus…and then right back down again.

Another thing: it stops too early. I don’t mean that in a time way, because three and a half minutes is plenty long enough for a good track, but structurally. After that second chorus, the downer kicks in again and we’re hopeful this upcoming middle eight will build it up into something magical for the final chorus; instead, nope, that’s it, and you’re left on a downer and, possibly only subconsciously, knowing you’ve been robbed of something to make that go away.

And that’s why it’s not fun.

Galantis – In My Head

“It doesn’t quite have that undefinable thing”

Tim: You & I was a worldwide(ish) smash, Peanut Butter Jelly went top ten in the UK and Australia; how’ll this do? We won’t predict, because we’re terrible at that.

Tom: Ben Haenow’s at 18 in the midweek charts. Can’t believe it’s that low.

Tim: Ouch. Well, let’s check this out anyway.

Tim: Hmm. Well, unlike what would appear to be the average consumer I vastly preferred Peanut Butter Jelly to their debut, so maybe it’s a good thing for the duo that I don’t like this one as much?

Tom: Agreed on both counts. Peanut Butter Jelly was brilliant; this is… well, a bit more generic.

Tim: It’s still good, it’s still recognisably Galantis with the trademark dance and distorted vocal, but for me it doesn’t quite have that undefinable thing that made their last track so great.

Tom: I believe that’s technically called the “X Factor”.

Tim: True, although the TV show seems to have drained the original phrase of any form of utility. It took me a few listens to really get Peanut Butter Jelly, though, so maybe this’ll improve on me. I do hope so – like I said, it’s still good, and I’d love it if I soon came to think of it as great, but for now: not quite.

Galantis – Peanut Butter Jelly

“Yes. This is good.”

Tim: TAKE TWO: I scribbled something about this while you were away a few weeks back, but not much about the music, and (a) I’ve heard it a lot more and particularly (b) I’d like to know your thoughts on it please.

Tom: Given that I started tapping my feet along with it even before the drop: yes. This is good. It’s a song that can get away with an airhorn sample and four-on-the-floor claps, for crying out loud, that’s rare.

Tim: WHAT A TUNE. Galantis, previously best known for their track Runaway that you hear in the opening of this video, but hopefully soon to be known as “those guys behind that brilliant peanut butter jelly one”. I suspect it may be something of a grower, but that’s fine because recently it has been getting ALL THE PLAYS and now I flipping love it.

Tom: Not for me: this worked on the very first listen.

Tim: The video helps, of course, what with the immense amount of sheer joy that is present, but damn if it isn’t one of the most enjoyable songs of the summer. Repetitive? Oh hell yes. But brilliant and wonderful? Oh, even more so. AIRHORNS, dammit, and it just never lets up, even for a second. You dance to this, and you dance and dance and just keep dancing, and sing to the lyrics that mean absolutely nothing whatsoever.

Galantis – Peanut Butter Jelly

“Rip your clothes off, have some fun and dance around!”

Tim: Tom’s off for a couple of days, so it’s just me right now; well, me and this follow-up to last year’s massive hit Runaway (You & I).

Tim: And what a lovely video to start the week off with. It’s just so happy, the perfect antidote to a murky Monday, if that is indeed what anybody is experiencing. Go to a shop, rip your clothes off, have some fun and dance around! Tune itself is very good as well – not quite as “stick in your head and hang around for months” as the previous, and whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is entirely up to you, because right now? I’ve got too big a smile on my face to care one way or another.