Garey Godson, the Nigerian-born and Berlin-based artiste, producer funnels his multi-faceted proficiency through innovative music that seeds from his roots and sprouts to make branches abroad. This leaning offers his sound like a revival that replenishes pulsating electronic rhythms with the velvety sincerity of soulful melodies. His records are generally receptive, and often warm with collaboration.
Garey has built a notoriety for well-arranged projects with cohesive structures. His latest 5-track E.P touches down in Berlin, Germany in the relaxing summer heat and Garey receives us with chilled electronic pop/RnB smoothies charmingly peppered with hip hop. We find him on this breezy adventure for which he has a measured appetite. However, he turns out optimistic and willing to see how far things will go.
We start out on ‘Simple’, the leading track where Garey Godson bounces off snares and aggressive 808s with a lackadaisical attitude towards a love interest. To be fair to him, he isn’t sure if things are going to work out yet, and he seeks the green light from her to proceed. “I just wanna let it go like a summer breeze yeah, yeah / At your pace and just follow your lead yeah…” he sings.
With his carefree entrance, you can tell that romance is least likely among his top priorities. From this point, we can see a sharp contrast from his lovelorn melodies of his 2022 E.P ‘Last Songs About You’, or his sensual ‘Poco a Poco’.
Eventually, he presents his mindstate on ‘That way’, as he harmonises rap on the track’s punchier rhythms: “Sometimes I’m feeling low, sometimes I’m feeling kind of blue.” His primary focus is clear on the racing tempo of electronic pumps. He just wants to party, relax, be healthy, rejuvenate and avoid drama.
However, the party soon slows down and his earlier reticence on ‘Simple’ begins to waver. There seems to be more clarity when Garey emerges with blaring electric guitars and reclines on the balmy harmonies on ‘Temperature’.
Maybe waiting to be calm and certain about his feelings pays off for him at the end of the day. “It’s been a while but now we’re onto something, ” he sings, and we can feel his relief at the outcome. His spark of heady romance brightens the mood and Leftlukas also assists here with an indulgent verse and sweet vocals garlanding the track.
We are reminded that love can be spurred from interest, but it can only be nurtured through mutual effort that we are willing to put into it. This discovery is made on ‘Horizon’, the mellow ballad of shimmering strings, as we come full circle and Garey decides to commit to his lover. “Ain’t nobody perfect but you’re perfect for me,” he soberly admits.
His rousing self-awareness further spills into the soulful serenity of the outro, ‘Rose from concrete’ where he provides a deeper perspective on the evolution we’ve witnessed on the project.
Unlike other summer-burnt playlists, Garey focuses on well-layered themes while showcasing his authenticity on ‘Better Late Than Never’.
Already, in its production, there is a noticeable gradient as we move from hyped rhythms to resonant moods. However, even when high-tempo tracks rock the party to ceiling heights, you can still find Garey’s thought-igniting pen within the flames.
He arranges the tracks on this project behind an idealistic resolve to put himself first. It is this self love that fuels his growth and is reflected on the E.P for listeners to draw inspiration from and be motivated to find their own happy endings.
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