Omar Apollo's aching, contemplative, daydreamy record Apolonio is the culmination of his lockdown hunkering, and includes hushed bedroom pop collaborations with Kali Uchis and Ruel. “It’s a lot of shit that I’ve always wanted to tap into,” he says. “Flows, melodies, and harmonies—and people I’ve always wanted to work with, like DJ Dahi, Michael Uzowuru, Blake Slatkin, and Teo Halm.” You can hear the ways in which Apollo is using this time at home to explore the breadth of his range and sound; there are whistling howls, psychedelic harmonies, and soulful pleading that sounds muffled and grainy, as if it was filtered through an antique phone. It will be exhilarating to watch it all come alive when he finally returns to the stage. “I was getting so used to my life [on the road], and now it’s just like, dang, I just got to be home,” he says. “It’s low-key what I wanted, but I’m also like, damn, I didn’t realize how much touring became a part of my life, and how much I really loved it.”
