At the midpoint of his second studio album, God Said No, Omar Apollo’s vocals tumble out in Spanish for the first and only time on the record. “Cantando en otro lenguaje pa que no me entiendes,” the Mexican American musician sings over featherlight harmonies and lulling violins on “Empty.” On his 2022 debut, Ivory, Apollo used the language as a nod to his heritage, a reflection of who he is and where he comes from. But here, it’s a shield, translating to: “[I’m] singing in another language so you don’t understand me.” In the safety of that space, he makes two contradictory confessions: “No quiero verte,” or “I don’t want to see you,” followed immediately by “Quiero tenerte,” or “I want you.”
Apollo holds both of these truths in his heart across God Said No. The 14-track collection mourns, in equal parts, the person he used to be and the relationship that left him irrevocably changed. He was already changing as his star was rising in the aftermath of Ivory, an eclectic album that blended tender R&B with the radiant charisma of an absolute luminary. It featured “Evergreen,” his most popular release to date, and landed him an opening slot on tour with SZA. With God Said No, over sprawling production helmed by Teo Halm, Apollo fights to shed the lingering weight of deteriorating communication, anxious attachment styles, and crushing codependency.
“I tried to be someone you liked, but it’s just too much compromise,” Apollo sings in a high-pitched vocal over the plucked strings of an acoustic guitar on album opener “Be Careful With Me.” His delivery is matter-of-fact, presented as proof that he did try his best to make a failing relationship work. He highlights warning signs on “How” and the bitter lead single, “Spite,” a lack of consistent security being among them. Apollo’s mask of anger drops on the bluesy ballad “Dispose of Me,” where he laments: “You’re making me feel insecure about things I ain’t thought about in years.” There’s a quiet devastation in his examination of the power we grant people over ourselves in love and, subsequently, how they choose to wield it.
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Through distorted synthesizers on “While U Can,” Apollo admonishes a partner for stealing “the light inside of me,” but still sticks around. He communicates the sense that he doesn’t want to leave anything left unsaid, or experience the unresolvable pain of regret. On the surprise standout “Less of You,” he pours his vulnerable confessions and confusions out over a propulsive techno beat. “Is this the last time I see you?” he asks. “Is this goodbye?” He returns to this skittering Europop sound on “Drifting,” where he considers, “Maybe I should let go.”
Apollo begins to, but it’s easier said than done. “Life’s Unfair” finds him confessing, “I would’ve married you,” over silky synths before the production fully trails off, like a conversation ending when neither side has anything left to say.
In the two featured collaborations on the album, Apollo finds hope, comfort, and reassurance in friendship. On the orchestral “Plane Trees,” moody singer Mustafa promises, “Your open arms will open doors again.” And on “Pedro,” actor Pedro Pascal mirrors the singer’s vulnerability with a rambling spoken-word entry that concludes with “I can’t believe I’m sending you this.” As Apollo closes God Said No with the wondrous piano ballad “Glow,” it’s with the acknowledgment that time is too precious to risk running out of chances to unload everything weighing on his heart and mind.
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God Said No is an emotionally harrowing look inside the psyche of a musician wringing every drop of meaning from the old adage that great art comes from great pain. As a lyricist and vocalist, Apollo emerges as an artist not tortured, but transformed.
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