Galantis began in Stockholm as a partnership and now runs as the dance project of Christian Karlsson. Before any of it, Karlsson worked as Bloodshy, co-producing Britney Spears' "Toxic," which won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording, and he co-founded the indie-dance band Miike Snow. The other founder was Linus Eklöw, who records as Style of Eye. They started working together after Karlsson asked him to remix Miike Snow's "Animal."
"Runaway (U & I)" was the breakout. The debut album, Pharmacy, landed in June 2015 with "Peanut Butter Jelly" built on a Bettye Swann sample, and "Runaway" picked up a Best Dance Recording nomination at the 2016 Grammys. "No Money" became the first Galantis single to debut on the Billboard Hot 100. Somewhere in there the Seafox showed up too, a mascot that's half fox, half jellyfish.
Rx, the fourth album, came out on Big Beat in May 2024 and was openly about Karlsson's ADHD diagnosis and treatment. One track is titled "BANG BANG! (My Neurodivergent Anthem)"; another, "Lighter," brought in David Guetta and 5 Seconds of Summer. He framed the title as a sequel of sorts: Pharmacy, he said, came from when he knew he was neurodivergent and the studio worked like a pharmacy for him; Rx followed the diagnosis and treatment.
In July 2026 Galantis signed to Counter Records, a Ninja Tune imprint, and Karlsson said it was the first time in his career he wasn't on a major label. The single "Do You Mind" arrived with news of an EP, The Devil's Tax Return: Volume 1, announced for October 16 and built from reworked songs by Frankie Valli, The Killers, Feist and The War on Drugs. Galantis has played Ubbi Dubbi before, at the 2024 edition.