The growth and rise to pop stardom by Omar Apollo is still in progress, but the progress he’s made in the past five years is wild. Apollo has gone from sporadically dropping singles to releasing two very solid EPs and distributing his first mini-album experience on “Apolonio” (2020). It’s been a long way since his EP “Stereo” (2018) days, but he’s still held onto that same passion and boldness that helped him work his way out of his bedroom in Indiana to make big waves in the LA pop scene. “Ivory” (2022), Apollo’s latest addition to his catalog and a debut, full-length album, has even more personality. It’s his most explorative, drawing from many different fascinating inspirations and bringing it all together on one album.
After the soft and sweet intro of “Ivory,” that signature indie sound on Apollo’s guitar strums opens up “Talk.” On a surface level, this song is compositionally and vocally reminiscent of fellow R&B artist Jaden. However, while drawing these parallels, Apollo takes advantage of his unique chorus vocals to sing a pretty and genuine hook. Having this feature as the second track in the record sets a weird pace for the album, a tempo significantly higher than what fans have been used to for a lot of Apollo’s music so far. But Apollo dials it back a bit on the groovy “No Good Reason.” The beat sounds like it’s been pulled directly from a Tyler, the Creator or Aminé textbook, but Apollo once again finds a way to incorporate his signature Omar Apollo elements into each song.
Then there’s the album’s lead single,“Invincible,” which features absolutely gorgeous vocals from Daniel Caesar. The song takes lots of cool twists and turns in its instrumentals and its lyricism. The prevailing vibe is a soft guitar, a soft bass and lots of reverb. These elements allow for both Apollo and Caesar to thrive and let their amazing vocals shine.
“Killing Me” builds a similar soft instrumental ground upon which the vocals can grow, but the drum pattern and guitar chords make this song feel especially like a cut from the Apollo we heard in 2018–19. “Waiting on You” does a similar thing, with Apollo’s bass guitar and the soft drums making this song sound especially bedroom pop. It’s extremely beautiful and very endearing to hear that sound still come through on new material.
However, the improvement and metamorphosis that Apollo has gone through has certainly granted him the ability to fit into many other styles. A great example of this is “Go Away,” which is one of the more unique songs on the record. Mixing elements of alternative pop with elements of contemporary R&B makes this song sound almost like The Weeknd. The album’s closing song, “Mr. Neighbor,” might be the most artsy song in Apollo’s discography yet, with some captivating vocal and synth ideas.
Beyond instrumental composition, we see more growth and rawness from Apollo, lyrically, on songs like “Personally,” “Evergreen” and “Bad Life (ft. Kali Uchis).” Lyrics like “Had to stop before I break myself/ Shoulda broke it off to date myself” are perfect looking glasses observing Apollo’s love life and his struggles within it.
One of the shining moments on the record is “Tamagotchi.” A lead single produced by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), this song is easily one of the most party-ready hip-hop leaning in his discography thus far. The bass has an unrelenting thump that pairs well with the slick delivery that Apollo delivers. He raps in Spanish and sings in English, with some crisp vocal chops that show how the Pharrell touch on production can easily match Apollo’s vocal flair. He’s even more on fire during the pre-chorus when Apollo adlibs over his vocals, making swishy sound effects that Playboi Carti would certainly approve of. Although Carti has not shown any public approval, Apollo posted a voice message of acceptance on Instagram from the one and only Tyler, the Creator. Urging him to promote the song more, Tyler, the Creator told Apollo, “I don’t think you even realize you got a f***in’ banger on your hands, you f***in’ dork.” Tyler’s wish was Apollo’s command, as the wild music video for “Tamagotchi” dropped less than two weeks later.
It’s undeniable, at this point, that Apollo has landed himself a solid place in the pop world thanks to his genuine lyricism and vocals as well as the guitar/bass writing he has not dropped since he started singing. “Ivory” shows how much of a musician Apollo is, as he blends his style with a cornucopia of genre-benders for his fans to feast on.
