Omar Apollo proves with his latest single, "Less of You," that heartbreak can be gutting and gyrate. As the third taste of the highly anticipated sophomore album God Said No, the song represents a boldly left turn sonically combining gut-churning yearning with a danceable '80s-tinged groove.
At heart, "Less of You" is a panic to grasp onto something already sliding away. Apollo captures the agony of escaping someone's hold and longing for them never to loosen their grasp. Written while steeped in self-imposed isolation in London, the song pulses with all the heft of reflection, heartbreak, and the tug of nostalgia that can never leave you.
Sonically, Apollo rides disco-inflected synth-bass and hypnotic rhythms, making for a track that demands you twirl around to it, even as it's all deep in sorrow. His signature falsetto rides easily atop the production, striking a balance of vulnerability and the highly smooth gloss of retro pop. It's a departure, but it feels like an evolution, not a rejection of the raw emotion that has always characterized his music.
With "Less of You," Omar Apollo defies boundaries and explores the space within his career, artistry, and the broader spectrum of contemporary R&B and indie pop. As he prepares for a global tour, the song crystallizes the emotional breadth and genre-fluid ambition that will characterize his next act. If this track is any indication, God Said No promises to be his most ambitious and nakedly autobiographical work to date.