Dreamy melodies, soulful lyrics, and pleasing instrumentals are everything that defines evidently good indie music. This is precisely what indie artist Omar Apollo brought to the table with his newest release.
Apollo, with 8.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, bases his music on his life as a gay man born to Mexican immigrants. Enticing audiences with poetic lyricism, he focuses on the idea of healing oneself.
Released on Oct. 6, 2023, Apollo’s EP (Extended Play) Live For Me consists of four songs: “Ice Slippin”, “Live For Me”, “Angel”, and “Pilot”. All skillfully put together for a total of 15 minutes and 52 seconds of pure euphoria.
The EP is introduced with an enticing series of notes on piano, seamlessly segued into Apollo’s smooth vocals. A beat drop precedes an increase in tempo; engaging lyrics are what unify the pieces.
With such clever and poetic lyricism, Apollo creates a space to learn and discover alongside his listeners. He connects to common feelings of yearning in “Ice Slippin” – the strongest song of the four – asking questions: “If I take back my words, would you return to me?” and reaching out to audiences: “Home is where you’re supposed to be.”
As the music masterfully weaves in and out of themes of grief, death, and acceptance, Apollo includes necessary hints of diverse beats and tones – the basis of any notable album. Audiences are granted a unique listening adventure which captures the embodiment of the human experience, blended into one flawless collection of songs.
Due to its fresh nature – drastically different from his usual choice of safe, mellow indie pop – the EP successfully reveals a daring willingness to experiment in aspects of R&B and flavors of hip-hop. This newfound courage is heard through the final song, swelling in and out of smooth beats and distorted vocals. A creatively genius approach.
A master of his art, he ends the sequence with emotional lyrics which leaves his audiences pleasantly satisfied. Scratching just the right angles, Omar Apollo’s EP invites us into an innovative realm of music, asking listeners to be carefree and “Live For Me”.