Melodic, textured and personal, Caleb Giles’ new project Meditations awe-inspiring

There’s something truly mesmeric about Caleb Giles’ music. His 2019 album Under the Shade was a gorgeous, atmospheric project, featuring eclectic, jazzy and soulful production that reflected his state of mind poignantly at that time. His incredibly layered and textured production was among my favourites of that year, and with each and every release since, I’ve been blown away by his incredible musicality and his eye/ear for detail. With his new project Meditations, the gifted artist pours his heart out with 10 reflective tracks that, as he describes them “allowed me to see/realize a larger portion of myself that was previously unavailable. I just needed the right cheat codes to unlock the shit.” And upon first listen, these tracks sound personal and full of heart, tacking his thoughts and traumas with honesty and a passion that is just so captivating to listen to and digest.

The opener “Meditations” featuring Fousheé is a phenomenal way to set the tone for the rest of the album. The colouful and off-kilter synth leads complement the beat and vocal performance from Fousheé perfectly. The swirling synths on “Stone Flower” are incredible as well, as well as that looped vocal sample and guitar leads that add a gentle, ethereal texture and tone to the track. His verses are brief but poignant and heartfelt, as he flows effortlessly over these crazy instrumentals. “Miss You” is an emotive and gorgeous track with strings, vocal samples that are interloped with the emotive track, and Caleb Giles singing beautifully over the angelic instrumental. It’s one of the more ethereal and expressive tracks on the entire project, and it showcases his talents as a producer. The beat on “Soil” is heavy, as he carries the weight of that track with a personal verse about inner growth and how his experiences have shaped him. “No Difference”, one of the singles off the album, is another heartfelt track, with gorgeous keys and ethereal synths that provide a beautiful soundscape for Caleb’s introspective verse. The keys and percussion on “Clockwise” make it my favourite instrumental and track on the album. The tone and energy of this track is incredible, and Caleb’s delivery on this one is impeccable. The soft and heartfelt last two tracks “Ripples” and “Passage” are both super melodic, with guitar-led melodies that perfectly capture his soul beautifully. The latter track especially with the moody and stunning synths, end the project on a beautiful, angelic and other-worldly note.

Caleb Giles’ personal, heartfelt and relatable music is a true gift to the world, and Meditations is another incredible project that showcases the extent of his talents as a songwriter, rapper and producer. It’s an album I’ll be playing for a while, so I definitely recommend checking this one out and supporting!