Sam Gellaitry’s “Anywhere Here Is Perfect” Marks His Triumphant Arrival
The Scottish producer steps fully into his new sound with a cinematic debut featuring Toro y Moi and more.
Sam Gellaitry’s debut album Anywhere Here Is Perfect feels like a lucid dream you never want to wake up from. It is sleek, emotional, and deeply cinematic, capturing those fleeting moments between chaos and calm. The Scottish producer-turned-singer has built a world where introspection meets euphoria, crafting songs that feel as visual as they sound. The Toro y Moi collaboration “Curious” glides through shimmering synths and warm nostalgia, while “On and On” explores self-consciousness and memory with a bittersweet pulse. Every track breathes with the energy of a story unfolding, tender, restless, and vividly human. The album signals Gellaitry stepping fully into his identity as both songwriter and producer.
Anywhere Here Is Perfect lands as both a statement and a reset, marking the moment Gellaitry fully arrives as an artist. It is dance music that does not need a club, pop that does not chase radio, and emotion that does not beg for approval. Instead, it lingers like the memory of a night that changes you without you realizing it at the time. The record moves fluidly between introspection and celebration, crafting moments of tension, release, and cinematic grandeur. Gellaitry’s collaboration with Toro y Moi adds layers of intimacy and warmth that elevate the album’s narrative. This is a debut that proves he is ready to claim his place at the forefront of electronic and pop music.
We caught up with Sam in the middle of his epic stadium tour with Justice and Kaytranada.
Justin Staple: How’s tour been going with Justice and Kaytranada?
Sam Gellaitry: It’s been great — super fun. I was on tour with Kaytranada for the last year, so there’s a similar crew this time around. The Justice guys have been incredible too — massive inspirations to me growing up.
JS: And you’re a Justice fan?
SG: Massively. I’ve been into Justice since Cross came out. I basically grew up listening to them — huge influence on me.
JS: I’m familiar with some Scottish dance producers like Hudson Mohawke, Rustie — all that LuckyMe stuff. Who else influenced you coming up?
SG: Those guys were huge influences, but also Calvin Harris — his early stuff especially. His first two albums were massive for me. And Sophie too.
JS: How did you get into making music originally?
SG: I got into it through that broken, Justice-style French house sound. I started making French house when I was about ten — just sampling old tracks. I went from being a Star Wars geek to a Daft Punk geek, because they had that robotic vibe I loved as a kid.
I’d dig for samples and make loops, then started making my own music when I was 12 on FL Studio, which I still use today. My taste evolved over time — around 14 or 15 I got into producers like Louis the Child and Mr. Carmack, and then Soulection discovered me around 2014 after a big moment on SoundCloud. More recently, I’ve been focused on singing — that’s been the last four years or so.
JS: What was it like growing up in Scotland? Where are you from originally?
SG: I was born in Edinburgh but moved to Stirling.
“This is my first album where I’m doing proper music videos, and I want to show my cinematic side. I’ve always wanted my music to feel like a soundtrack”
JS: And what’s life like growing up there?
SG: It’s very chill — relaxed. Not a huge town, so I think my social skills grew there because I’d hang with people from different schools instead of just one friend group. That’s kind of been a theme in my life — jumping between different communities.
There wasn’t any real music industry there, so it was a unique experience, but everyone around me was super supportive and excited when things started happening. I’ve got a lot of great memories there. I’m really glad I grew up in Stirling.
JS: When you go back now, are you somewhat of a hometown hero?
SG: Kind of — but I don’t really see it that way. I always stay grounded when I’m home. It’s the kind of place where you can’t act a certain way, you know? You’re just back to your roots. Stirling’s more of a university town now, so there are a lot of new faces, but when I run into old friends, it’s like nothing’s changed. It’s good to have that as a base.
JS: Talk about the leap into doing your own vocals and becoming more of a performer than a producer. How did that evolution happen?
SG: It came from my taste shifting — from instrumental music to songwriting. Artists like Toro y Moi, James Blake, and Kevin Parker inspired me because they’re producers who also sing. I’d always experimented with vocals, but I didn’t really write songs until around 2018 or 2019. I released my first vocal work in 2022. I basically spent four years easing into that sound, and it started feeling natural.
JS: And “Assumptions” really took off online. Tell me about that track.
SG: Yeah, that’s the one I made in 2018 — the song that made me take singing seriously. Seeing it go viral this year was funny because it’s been around forever. It’s wild watching a song take on a life of its own. People discover it visually or through clips, and they might not even know it’s me unless they dig. But that’s what’s cool about it — it’s found its own wave.
JS: How did you connect with Toro y Moi?
SG: I met him two years ago. I’ve been a fan since I first heard one of his songs on a UK TV show — I had to look up the track for half an hour after the episode ended. That was around 2010, so I’ve been listening to him for like 15 years. He’s a huge reason I started singing. We met at a festival, kept in touch, did a show together last year, and this year he was the number-one person I wanted on the album. I reached out, and we made it happen.
JS: That’s amazing. How would you describe the themes of the record?
SG: It’s got a party vibe — like meeting someone new, talking to a stranger, that excitement of connection in a social setting. That energy is what the track’s about.
JS: You’re also prepping your album Anywhere Here Is Perfect. Tell me about the title and themes.
SG: The title came from something you might say casually — like in a taxi when you’re ready to stop somewhere: “Anywhere here is perfect.” It represents being ready to stop the journey and stand on your own two feet. That’s what this album means to me — it’s my first real moment of independence, creatively speaking.
JS: I love how there’s this visual component to the project. I saw all the snippets on your Instagram. Talk about building that world.
SG: Yeah, visuals are really important to me. When I was making the album, I actually made a brief for each track — the color, texture, and environment it represented. We shot little clips for each song in one day, and I’ve been posting them leading up to the album. It’s been fun to build that world visually.
JS: Are you able to get that stuff done while you’re on tour?
SG: Honestly, I’m barely sleeping on tour — no time for that. But luckily we prepped everything before I left. Every song has its own visual clip ready to go, which I’m really happy about.
JS: Are you a movie fan? It seems like that plays into your creative approach too.
SG: Definitely. This is my first album where I’m doing proper music videos, and I want to show my cinematic side. I’ve always wanted my music to feel like a soundtrack — that’s part of the journey theme too. I see an album like a feature film, a mixtape like a TV series, and a single like an episode. I want this to feel cohesive, like a complete film in musical form.
JS: Any specific films or directors who inspire you?
SG: I love Richard Linklater — his dialogue-driven, memory-like films. Dazed and Confused feels like reliving a day that never actually happened to you. I also love early Wes Anderson — Rushmore especially. I’m drawn to films that are visually strong but really carried by their script and tone.
JS: Have you been playing songs from the new album on the road?
SG: Yeah, a bunch of them. I’ve basically played the whole album live in San Francisco, L.A., and New York last month.
JS: I saw you teasing “Don’t Try” on Instagram — what’s that track about?
SG: “Don’t Try” is about feeling like you don’t have time for a relationship. I used a vocoder to give it that robotic Daft Punk feel, which fit the theme — it’s like an inner monologue telling me to stay focused, be robotic, manage my time. Then the final track on the album kind of counteracts that — it’s about finding someone when you’re not looking. They’re meant to speak to each other.
JS: Are you writing all these lyrics yourself, or working with collaborators?
SG: It’s all me, apart from Toro’s verse. Everything else is mine.
JS: Amazing. And what about “On and On”?
SG: That one’s about how past experiences can make you self-conscious in a current relationship. The chorus comes from an older song I wrote — it’s not something I deal with as much now, but it captures those intrusive thoughts. What I love about it is the contrast — the lyrics are kind of heavy, but the song itself feels upbeat. I’ve always loved playing with that juxtaposition between tone and subject.
JS: What do you hope fans take away from this album?
SG: I hope it gives people that same memory-like feeling you get from a great film — something emotional and immersive. I want people to listen front to back. It’s a cohesive record, but each track stands on its own too. I just hope it’s experienced the way albums used to be — like putting on a record and getting lost in it.