Progressive R&B singer-songwriter Gallant has returned with his new album, Zinc., via Mom + Pop Music.
Regarding his new project, Gallant notes, “I saw Zinc. as the album I’d make if I had the chance to follow up my first record Ology again. It’s a fresh start without confusion and the pressures of being part of a big machine. All that mattered was if a song spoke to me and if it reflected all of the weird things that make up who I am as a fan and as a person.”
He adds, “I entertained myself and got a lot off my chest. I stuck to my guns and created an unfettered body of work that feels like me. I created the kind of music I wish existed and I could hear as a fan.”
The album was preceded by the singles “Coldstar.,” “Fly On the Wall. (Osaka Version),” “Crimes of Compassion.,” and the latest focus track “Centigrade.” featuring Nao.
Speaking on the latter tune, Gallant explains, “It’s about the fallout of an argument, there’s a period where you’re alone afterwards, and you have to think about what started it. I’m fascinated by the idea of that pause. It’s an interesting purgatory.”
“Centigrade.” arrives with a meandering visual directed by Elizabeth Acevedo.
As indicated above, Gallant launched his new era with “Coldstar.,” produced by Stint. The Columbia, Maryland, native shared the story behind creating the introspective track.
“I kept thinking about when I used to feel down a lot, how I would wrestle with this persistent feeling of ‘wanting to go home when I’m already there.’ We had both been listening to a bunch of old video game soundtracks from 1999, and Stint ended up finding this synth sound that reminded me of something you’d hear in the water level of some Sega Dreamcast platformer,” said Gallant.
“Immediately, it all felt like a distant, core memory that I eagerly wanted to return to — and the whole song pretty much just spontaneously materialized after that. Now whenever I listen back to ‘Coldstar.’, I get to live in that wishful space for just a couple of minutes. Hopefully, it has the same effect on you when you press ‘play.'”
Regarding “Fly On the Wall. (Osaka Version), Gallant shared, “It came together as an honest and visceral story I’d been trying to write for a long time. It’s focused on the lyrics. The chorus reminded me of saying something I regretted in the heat of the moment during an argument.”
As for “Crimes of Compassion.,” Gallant explained, “I was talking about relationships and how one thing that poisons a particular relationship could come back in the next relationship—whether it’s with a friend, family member, or romantic partner, I was trying to diagnose the issue and speak to the cyclical nature of it all.”
Zinc. is Gallant’s first full-length album since 2019’s Sweet Insomnia. The album, his second and final under Warner Records, included features from 6LACK (“Sweet Insomnia“) and Sabrina Claudio (“Compromise“).
In 2021, Gallant returned with his Neptune EP via EMPIRE. The eight-track offering featured collaborations with Brandy, Arin Ray, and R&B duo VanJess.
Last November, Gallant joined forces with musician and producer Terrace Martin to make a collaborative project titled Sneek. The EP featured the lead single “311!” with Robert Glasper and Keyon Harrold.
Stream Gallant’s new album Zinc. below.
