Omar Apollo Sings of Heartbreak in New Album 'God Said No'
Omar Apollo has been making music for many years, but it feels like every time he releases a new body of work, he dives deeper into his true potential as an artist and as a person experiencing life. “God Said No” explores themes of heartbreak, sorrow, and the emotions brought about by a difficult relationship.
The album opens on a soft note with “Be Careful With Me,” which aches with despair and solitude, setting the tone for much of the album. That transitions into “Spite,” the first single released and certainly one of the catchiest. Apollo recounts a push-pull kind of relationship, saying, “Every time I see you on my phonе / Hate that I still need you in my life.” Despite its catchiness, the song is rather solemn lyrically, but one of the strongest on the album.
In my opinion, “Less of You” should’ve been featured on the ‘Challengers’ soundtrack. It opens with a steady, electronic, cyber-pop beat, and Apollo comes in hot with slightly autotuned vocals and even implements something that sounds like a talk box at one point, giving it a Daft Punk-like edge. So far, the songs have really portrayed a relationship in which both people are pulling away from each other, yet they can’t let go. “Done With You” is another glorious pop-pleaser. The song features soothing strings and even some horns; heartbreak can be so catchy when put in his hands.
“Plane Trees” featuring Mustafa takes Apollo back to his ballad roots with incredibly powerful vocals and harmonies. Even just the first line of the song is enough to bring a girl to tears! Over the years, his delivery has gained more and more emotion; it’s a style he’s perfected, especially on this track. “How could we be dying? / If we’re lying down / Underneath this tree / Giving life to withered leaves.” The minimal music in the background lets the vocals of both Apollo and Mustafa shine.
From singing of past lives on “Drifting” to incorporating his Spanish-speaking roots into “Empty,” Apollo provides a variety of different styles and perspectives. Even in track eight, titled “Life’s Unfair,” he opens up about a very sensitive subject: cheating. But, my interpretation of the song is that he was the one cheating, singing, “Your faith kept you from truth / When I when I was kissing him, I was seeing you / I’m not sure what to do.” This song is interesting to me because many people who cheat on someone have a hard time admitting that they did so, but if that’s the case with this track, he says it rather plainly. He was kissing someone else, yet saying he still wanted to marry the other person. Certainly a track with a lot to think about.
“Against Me” has less to say than the others so far, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun time! Apollo has rapped on his music before, but the use of autotune gives it that true 2024-type-rap feel while holding strong to some indie rock elements. “While U Can” slows things down again, pulling in Omar’s ballad-esque vocals and simplistic instrumentals. “Stole the light inside of me /Let your eyes guide me to the way / Who am I to you when our worlds collide?”
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Standing as the second single released prior to the full album, “Dispose of Me” reminds me of the sound we heard on his previous album, “Ivory.” Again, it still holds a lot of the ballad-like elements he seems to be gravitating towards on this project, but with a chorus that’s warm and soft. Yet another heartbreak anthem, Apollo sings, “You can leave me for twеnty-five years, I’ll never give up / We got too much history / So don’t just dispose of me.” “How” describes the post-breakup turmoil he was experiencing, wondering how his previous partner is living his life when he’s so unhappy on his own. It’s a foreign feeling to go from co-existing with someone for so long and so happily to just being by your lonesome.
If there’s one unexpected feature on this album, it’s Pedro Pascal. Track thirteen, “Pedro,” opens with Apollo delivering an acapella portion, and then you hear the clearing of a throat, and Pascal begins talking in a way that feels almost poetic. He speaks of his own heartbreak, describing in a solemn voice that he was avoiding going to the U.S. to avoid his hurting and found solace at a park bench in a residential neighborhood. It’s surprisingly emotional from start to end. It’s like you can feel them grieving together, even though one portion is a recorded interlude, and the other seems to be just a voice memo. Their paths aligned in this beautiful and tragic song, one that I did not expect to love as much as I did.
“Glow” is the perfect sendoff to a deeply sentimental and touching album, one that has proved Apollo’s ability to take his heart out of his chest and show it to his fans with no limits. In the final track, he sings, “You’re my only one, I can promise that / If we go to hell, you can hold my hand / Brace yourself, water pulls the sand / Before you leave, give me one more dance.” The instrumentals alone seem to sing to the heavens, Omar using his range to emphasize both the high and low points.
My lingering question at this point is, what did God say no to? The title is ambiguous, and given the contents of the album, it could go so many different ways. His honesty and grief have been refreshingly raw. We’re living in a world where words often no longer have the meaning they once did in music, and Omar is flipping the script. He has delivered a body of work that will age timelessly and one I’m sure will offer comfort to many of those grieving in the same situation. “God Said No” allows Apollo’s fans to feel his pain while giving them the comfort they need to heal from their own trauma.
