Urban Flora

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Urban Flora
EP by
Alina Baraz and Galimatias
ReleasedMay 19, 2015
Recorded2013–2015
Genre
Length30:47
Label
ProducerGalimatias
Alina Baraz chronology
Urban Flora
(2015) 		The Colors of You
(2018)
Galimatias chronology
Sunlight Reigns Supreme
(2013) 		Urban Flora
(2015) 		Renaissance Boy
(2020)
Singles from Urban Flora
  1. "Drift"
    Released: August 9, 2013[1]
  2. "Fantasy"
    Released: October 12, 2014[2]
  3. "Make You Feel"
    Released: January 30, 2015

Urban Flora is the debut collaborative extended play by American singer Alina Baraz and Danish Musician Galimatias. It was released on May 19, 2015, by Ultra Records, with a vinyl release by Mom + Pop in 2016.[3]

Background[edit]

In 2013, Alina Baraz recorded her written songs using electronic instrumentals by Galimatias that she found online, which she then shared on her SoundCloud. Galimatias eventually found Baraz, and the two worked together to create Urban Flora.[4][5][6] Baraz explained in an interview with Bazaar:

"I had no idea at the time of how a producer works. So, I would go on 8 tracks and I would find beats and sing over them and I would upload them to Soundcloud. Soundcloud is like the roots of everything for me. Galimatias had heard one of my songs and I put it in the universe that we were going to make a project together. I thought, I'm going to meet Gali and then it literally happened. We would just send our music back and forth over Facebook, we'd never Skyped or anything, so he also didn't know what I looked like. I don't know if it would work with anyone else like that, but we just had a connection."[4]

Baraz got the name for the extended play when Galimatias sent her an audio labeled "Urban Flora" which she took inspiration from.[4]

"Gali named that after a song one day. He likes to rename our songs before he sends them to me, sometimes he'll call it, 'pizza' or 'tacos' or something weird. But this one was 'Urban Flora' and it caught my attention. To me, 'Urban Flora' is like the two of us. Gali has a bunch of hip hop, urban-style production. The whole concept around the album, I based around the idea of a flower. So 'Urban' was Gali and 'Flora' was me."[4]

Singles[edit]

Before being featured on Urban Flora, every single from the album was first made available on Alina Baraz's SoundCloud, where it gained millions of plays.[7] The album's first single, "Drift", was released on August 9, 2013. The album's second single, "Fantasy" was released on October 12, 2014. The song became her first hit, peaking number 36 on the US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs. The album's third single, "Make You Feel", was released on January 30, 2015. Both "Fantasy" and "Make You Feel" were later certified gold by RIAA.[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman of AllMusic called the album "consistently relaxed and slightly trippy, nearly torpid, filled with lapping sounds carefully plotted for solitary and one-on-one bedroom settings."[3] Complex's Edwin Ortiz praised the album, saying, "Alina's sensual vocals and Galimatias' equally ravishing backdrops are a perfect marriage on Urban Flora, which effectively sounds and feels like a dedication to the one in your life."[5]

Track listing[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[8]

All tracks are written by Alina Baraz and produced by Galimatias

Urban Flora track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Show Me"4:13
2."Drift"3:44
3."Can I"3:50
4."Fantasy"3:39
5."Make You Feel"3:41
6."Maybe"3:36
7."Pretty Thoughts"3:32
8."Unfold"4:32
Total length:30:47

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for Urban Flora
Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[9] 111
US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[10] 2
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 1

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for Urban Flora
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Ref.
United States May 19, 2015
[3]
2016
LP

References[edit]

  1. ^ Baraz, Alina (August 9, 2013). Drift. Alina Baraz. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via SoundCloud.
  2. ^ a b "American certifications – Alina Baraz". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Kellman, Andy (May 19, 2015). Album - Urban Flora. AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Rutherford, Chrissy (October 13, 2015). Alina Baraz On Creating Her Debut Album Over Facebook. Bazaar. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Ortiz, Edwin (May 18, 2015). Premiere: Stream Alina Baraz & Galimatias' 'Urban Flora' EP. Complex Networks. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Lester, Paul (June 19, 2015). New band of the week: Alina Baraz & Galimatias (No 58). The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Baraz, Alina (April 1, 2014). Urban Flora. Alina Baraz. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024 – via SoundCloud.
  8. ^ Urban Flora. Tidal. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Alina Baraz Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Alina Baraz - Chart history (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
  11. ^ "Alina Baraz Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
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