Most record-releasing artists don’t get their start en route to a Jersey Mikes, though Watson isn’t exactly most artists. Upon receiving a call from Brian Lee (songwriter behind the likes of Post Malone and Justin Bieber), Watson immediately turned away from his 9-5, and hasn’t looked back since. 

He approaches his craft the same way; not overly pedantic, never negligent, always open to taking the offbeat route. He offers an alternative approach to lyricism, one steeped in idiosyncrasy and vulnerability, managing to subvert any expectations. As he told Billboard, “I write for myself […] the honesty is just at an all-time high.”

Watson—a pseudonym for Travis Galatte—is, indeed, the most authentic iteration of himself. His most recent project ‘Hallelujah, I’m Free’ is a rare look inwards, unraveling the dissonance of his own, volatile emotions. The tracks manage to account for the aforementioned idiosyncrasy, at the same time becoming a cohesive “pool of gravity” (Watson’s own, cosmos-inspired commentary). They’re meant to ricochet off the walls of your bedroom, to be shared on the aux, to not only revel in gravity but to defy it. 

The six-track EP opens with ‘Dead Inside’, a melancholic portrayal of nights spent “dying just to feel alive”, with similarly harrowing melodies. Watson doesn’t come off as overbearingly self-righteous—a standout track is the more upbeat ‘Dance Alone’, which even ventured into TikTok territory. Somewhere in between is ‘Kitty Kitty’, quite frankly about celibacy (and the lack thereof), accompanied by various visual innuendos:

The project manages to establish its own circadian rhythm, setting the frequency of its own ‘metronome’ (the last track). Watson seems self-assured, finding his own sound—no easy feat after he’s written for 21 Savage and Post Malone. The beats don’t echo those of his counterparts, and he’s the better for it. 

Watson is only interested in reaching his own metonymy for salvation, able to exclaim hallelujah. The process of getting there involves “just being present and doing what felt natural”, just as Watson answered Lee’s phone call. 

And, of course, we can’t wait to see what’s next. 

Listen to ‘Hallelujah, I’m Free’ here: