In EP 'Comfortable,' Daniela Galasso Finds Beauty in Life’s Vulnerable Moments

Daniela Galasso, also known as Dani, unveils her debut EP, Comfortable, a reflective coming-of-age journey that encapsulates the beauty in vulnerability. This Italian-bred, California-based singer-songwriter uses her ethereal blend of dream pop and folktronica to explore life’s complexities with poetic intimacy.

Each track in Comfortable serves as a chapter in Dani’s own journey of self-discovery, weaving together themes of love, resilience, and emotional growth.

The album opens with Sway, a whimsical, feel-good anthem that captures the innocence of dancing through life’s seasons. With lyrics like, “We sway to the beat of our favorite songs… playing in stereo till it’s dawn,” Dani creates a lighthearted, nostalgic soundscape perfect for getting lost in.

Yesterday’s Story shifts to a slower, more reflective tone, narrating the bittersweet remnants of a past love. In this track, Dani’s heartfelt delivery makes lines like, “We can’t move on, but it feels so wrong to be in yesterday’s story,” resonate deeply with anyone holding onto old memories.

Something You Can’t Borrow brings strength amid heartbreak, with Dani standing firm in her self-worth, proclaiming, “My heart is something you can’t borrow.” The song’s resilient energy reinforces the album’s theme of self-respect and staying true to oneself.

And then, the warmth of new love, one that comes with a sense of safety and ease, is captured in “Comfortable.” Lyrics like “I’m getting comfortable, Sunday evenings at the house” evoke the beautiful simplicity of feeling at home with someone special.

It’s a song that resonates with anyone who’s felt the gentle progression of a relationship—from sparks to a steady flame, where shared moments and small routines become the foundation of something deeply meaningful.

All in all, Dani’s EP merges imagination and reality, creating a thoughtful soundtrack for anyone navigating the twists and turns of growing up and finding comfort in their own skin.

Congratulations on the successful release of your EP, Comfortable. What was the most exciting or challenging part of creating this personal, coming-of-age project?

One of the most exciting things for me was hearing my songs fully produced. I’m used to writing in an acoustic environment (w/ a keyboard or guitar), but once I had a song I really liked for this project and was able to move into actual production for it, it was mind-blowing. It's an amazing experience to see the evolution of a song from a voice memo to something that is radio quality. Figuring out production and the overall sound was also challenging for me bc I did each song, one at a time, without having a full plan for the album; it was a really organic process, and because of that and the fact that it was my first time, I was second-guessing the direction of the sound different points. But, I also sort of think that’s the beauty of this project, that it's a little rough around the edges. 

For the songs, since they are more honest/intimate, I was consistently asking myself, “Am I ok with this being out in the wild?” Naturally I’m a little shy about my music, but it's gotten easier as time has gone on, especially as I’ve been more sure about my sound and message, but it’s ultimately terrifying putting yourself out there. One thing that helped with this was sharing songs with people and starting to perform the songs live as venues have opened up post-pandemic.

Another thing I really enjoyed was creating music videos and visuals for this project; I liked tying the songs to something that people could see, and I was lucky enough to have help from my partner in creating the music videos for Embers and Comfortable. We did them completely DIY together as co-producers–we set up camp for the weekend at a cabin/Airbnb in Twain Harte for Embers, and we filmed Comfortable at my parents' house in Northern California.

Your music is described as a fusion of dream pop and folktronica with “wistful impressionistic flavors.” How did you develop this unique sound, and what drew you to these genres?

I’ve always been attracted to the pop/singer-songwriter genre from a lyrical and storytelling perspective—most of my favorite female artists and idols are in this space: artists like Ellie Goulding, Imogen Heap, Taylor Swift, and Kacey Musgraves.

I realized I wanted to blend classic, organic instruments (piano/guitar)–the instruments I used to write these songs–with more of a dreamy and electronic aesthetic. I also have a deep love for ethereal synths and the sonic quality + and production style of dream pop and electronic dance music; I especially like the more emotional artists that have played with the intersection of that sonic world and classic songwriting, like Illenium, Ellie Goulding, Churches,

Congratulations on achieving 2nd place in Indie International’s 2022 Songwriting Competition with your song Yesterday’s Story. How did that recognition impact your growth and confidence as an artist?

Thanks! It was a really special moment to get that recognition. I spent a long time incubating as a songwriter before I committed to releasing music as an artist, so receiving that award was a big accomplishment. It meant a lot more than streaming numbers to me, for sure, and it motivated me to continue getting better as a writer. 

Yesterday’s Story was the first single for the album, so I was really proud knowing that it resonated with many people. After many years of hard work, I truly felt like something was working out at that point.

I felt similarly for Sway, and I’m really proud of that song in particular because it was one of the more happy/uplifting songs in my catalog. It was a milestone within itself because, for the longest time, I wrote more melancholic songs, but that song was different. I just love the way we produced the vibe of it and all of the vocal stacks in the post-chorus section “Can you see it now?” – Fun fact: along with being the first song on the album, it was the first one that was produced for the project.

What was it like navigating the role of co-producer on this EP? How did you ensure the music sounded true to your vision while collaborating with multiple producers?

I had a lot of ups and downs, to be honest. Originally, I thought I could do production myself, but in reality, the sound I wanted to achieve was a bit beyond my producer skillset at the time. So, I let go of that and tried different producers on different songs. In some instances, I had a rough demo to start, and in other instances, I did more of the groundwork with instrumentation and direction before working with someone else.

I really wanted to be as hands-on as possible with the sound, so I collaborated closely with the producers involved. I sort of played an executive producer role, so even though I wasn’t physically adjusting the knobs at the mixing board or playing the instrument in every instance, I was really involved in the direction of everything and would constantly refer back to other songs on the album to make sure they were feeling right with each other.

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