Welcome back to “Perfect Pitch,” a series where members of the Belmont Vision’s senior staff review the latest releases in music and look for the next big thing.
This week, we’re reviewing the debut record from French singer-songwriter Oklou, “choke enough.”
Oklou has been releasing music since 2014 and made this record under the wing of prolific PC Music producer, Danny L Harle, who has also worked with the likes of Caroline Polachek, Shygirl and Flume.
“Choke enough” is Oklou’s first full-length release since her 2020 mixtape, “Galore,” which explores the sparse orchestral samples andand light vocal delivery that became her signature moves on the album.
Ria Skyler – Senior Arts Writer
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
General Thoughts:
Oklou chases through the hills and valleys of her imagination on this records. Her method of pacing the record through synths and not staying bound by a metronome or consistent beat finds her a lot of free space within the songs. Not that the beats aren’t consistent, but they don’t have to be.
She also has the vocals to match the echoic spaces she creates. Her deliveries are distinct, soft and propelled in the form that adds more depth to her lyrics even if they are simple. This highlights another strength of hers, which is the ability to infuse her skillsets to make her work stronger instead of relying on one strength.
Her words would not be as impactful without the soundscape she surrounds them with, so she prioritizes the production and strcutre of her songs, and then her lyricism can shine. In this way, Oklou doesn’t fight for attention by flexing, but lets an audience draw close to her work. Oklou’s art of unbounding propels her work forward, signaling a soft return to form and innovation for PC Music.
Favorite Song: “plague dogs”
Least Favorite Song: “(;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)”
Favorite Lyric: “Flowers grow quietly”
Oklou has released music for over a decade, but this is her formal debut. Should a debut album come when an artist establishes themselves or should the debut establish the artist?
From a promotion perspective, an artist should probably be fresh in the industry to have their project promoted as a debut. Yet if an artist is working without an industry push, the semantics of what release category their work falls into is less relevant. Oklou’s artistic journey is a great example of taking musical opportunities to further her sound and goals before formally presenting herself to her audience. In that case, establishing herself before debuting allowed this record to be as free and authentic as it is, which reflects on her well.
Zach Watkins – Arts & Entertainment Editor
Overall rating: 5/10
General Thoughts:
While I recognize the artistic integrity this project holds, the overly synthetic passes on the voice of Oklou took me out 90% of the time. While I will admit that some songs really caught my attention it is my belief that the voice and artistry behind it is what defines an artist. So, to hear it covered up behind waves of electronic haze dissatisfied more than it helped.
While I still have work to do in appreciating hyperpop this album was not an easy entry to the genre.
Favorite song: family and friends
Least favorite song: plauge dogs
Favorite lyric: “Starting life at the end, maybe it's okay”
Oklou has released music for over a decade, but this is her formal debut. Should a debut album come when an artist establishes themselves or should the debut establish the artist?
An artist is defined by how they hold themselves and how they create music in the moment of a release. While debut albums offer a good look into the artistry and artistic vision of the artist at hand, I do not think they should be defined by their debut work whether its a single or an album. Do we still consider Taylor Swift a country artist? Or do we look at the music she makes today and define her by that?
Nolan Russell – Senior Arts Writer
Overall rating: 8/10
General thoughts:
An underwater medieval journey, this flute infused hyper pop album is unique, which is an achievement in itself in today’s music scene. Warbling and trickling synths carry the album as Oklou airily sings over them. Shining the most on its latter half, “choke enough” feels like flossing your brain, leaving you relaxed and satisfied by the end.
Favorite song: blade bird
Least favorite song: family and friends
Favorite lyric: Only imperfection’s enough, hidden words between the sentence
Oklou has released music for over a decade, but this is her formal debut. Should a debut album come when an artist establishes themselves or should the debut establish the artist?
While a few decades ago, sustaining a decade long career on EPs was unheard of, in today’s digitally based music industry it is perfectly reasonable for an artist like Oklou to do so. Waiting to be more established to release an album is not only reasonable but necessary for new artists in the music industry today. The digital format that has taken over the industry doesn’t allow much room for full length albums from unestablished artists, as albums are expensive to make and building an audience oN of EPs is much more economical
Nick Rampe: Senior Sports Writer
Overall Rating: 7/10
General Thoughts:
Oklou creates a unique, ethereal soundscape on this album. The soft art-pop atmosphere and repetitive nature makes for an easy, enjoyable listening experience. However, most tracks are more concerned with maintaining tranquility than progressing from one idea to the next. Despite its quality, it does leave something to be desired in terms of memorability.
Favorite Song: ict
Least Favorite Song: want to wanna come back
Favorite Lyric: “They said to me, ‘You can’t escape, one life into your name. Chase a path you won’t take, dancing in a round.’”
Oklou has released music for over a decade, but this is her formal debut. Should a debut album come when an artist establishes themselves or should the debut establish the artist?
Typically, the album would establish an artist. However, as music continually becomes easier to produce and distribute, it’s likely that even more artists will reach a level of fame before their debut album is released. I think the traditional method usually results in better music, as artists fully focus on their art in order to make a name for themselves. With that being said, all artists have their own unique path, and it’s worth it for them to pursue whichever route allows them to express their artistic vision.
Braden Simmons – Managing Editor
Overall Rating: 7/10
General Thoughts:
This album sounded as if Billie Eilish had a really syntethic almost EDM album. Overall the synthetic sound of the album worked but it also had me losing the lyrics at times which to me is what makes an song a lot of the time. It held a rather ominous almost spooky sound that could be off-putting but balanced that with smoother and more calming songs later in the album. For an official debut the album certainly is rather interesting and may be worth a revisit at some point. It will be interesting to see how Oklou continues developing a more particular and distinct sound.
Favorite Song: thank you for recording
Least Favorite Song: plague dogs
Favorite Lyric:
“When I get home and sit in my little house
I try to feel something that I like
Oh-oh, when I get bored of looking inside myself
I always open windows at night.”
Oklou has released music for over a decade, but this is her formal debut. Should a debut album come when an artist establishes themselves or should the debut establish the artist?
A debut album I personally think works best as an official professional introduction to an artist. I think being established takes away the idea of a debut album in my mind. Certianly it makes sense to workshop songs and practice them at different venues but a debut album should be an introduction rather than simply a reannouncement that this artist is here.