Following the immense success of his debut album Ivory, Grammy-nominee Omar Apollo recently released an extended version (Ivory Marfil) featuring five extra tracks, which are beautiful additions to the album. Apollo has exquisitely curated an array of songs that explore self-acceptance, heartbreak, and healing.
The first of the five additional tracks, ‘Endlessly,’ explores the conflict between trying to move on from a relationship and desperately trying to grasp on to what is left of it. Apollo delves into the journey of accepting being alone when breaking up with someone: “already got what I’ll ever need // I know deep in me there’s everything // what if I trust myself endlessly?”
Back in April 2022, when Ivory was initially released, listeners were given a taste of this song in the 34-second long ‘Endlessly Interlude.’ The track is brought to life by the distorted vocals scattered throughout, which imitate the internal battle Apollo has been experiencing. In the places where the vocals are not distorted, it perhaps alludes to a sense of realisation and him coming to terms with everything after questioning it for so long.
‘Highlight’ fuses the vivid and confident nature of Latina music with the velvety tone of R&B. However, the incorporation of Apollo’s Spanish heritage into his work doesn’t end at the musicality of the track; the duality of both English and Spanish lyrics adds a gratifying personal touch to the album.
In March 2022, Zane Lowe interviewed Omar Apollo for Apple music. Apollo commented in this interview that “I definitely want to make a full Spanish album,” and ‘Highlight’ showcases the journey of his cultural exploration exceptionally well. While most artists tend to avoid their lyrics being inaudible, it is evident that Apollo was so engrossed in the musical composition of the tune he left many of his fans feeling confused as to what he is saying.
In response to a short clip from one of his Genius interviews, Apollo went to Twitter to note that “It was 5am in Paris when I made ‘Highlight’. I tried to put words to it, but gibberish felt better. All about the feeling.”
Hidden among the five new tracks are ‘Archetype’ and ‘Saving All My Love.’ Firstly, ‘Archetype’ is a romantically heart-wrenching tune that includes dreamy background vocals and various instruments.
The union of the soul-driven harmonies and the gentle electric guitar works very well. ‘Saving all your love’, which is another relatively short song, includes the use of strings which makes the song rather striking. The length of the track contributes to Apollo creating a perfect flow throughout the album.
The concluding track is ‘Pretty boy.’ This stripped-back song featuring Apollo’s stunningly smooth yet sharp vocals is accompanied by delicate strings. It solidifies the themes discussed throughout the whole album. His voice sounds different here as he has altered his pitch entirely so that his raw emotion shines through the track; the way that he still manages to control his voice at such a high pitch is awe-inspiring and highlights the maturity of his voice.
At 21 tracks long, Ivory (Marfil) encapsulates Omar Apollo’s inner turmoil ingeniously. While this album is quite long, I believe that Apollo stays consistent through this project. When it comes to deluxe albums, it can sometimes feel that artists are just trying to use up songs that may not fit in their future albums, but this does not seem to be the case here.
No song seems out of place, and his remarkable dedication to his craft bleeds throughout the album. Ivory (Marfil) is proof that Apollo unequivocally remains authentic to himself and the style of music he wants to put out to the world. It will be exciting to see him continue to proudly delve into his Spanish heritage in upcoming projects.
Words by Lottie Murray
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