Shallou - All Becomes Okay EP

Shallou
All Becomes Okay EP
2017
Spotify

Shallou are an electronic band from Chicago who work in the more trippy IDM side of things. Reminiscent of Odesza with a really expansive sound yet still holding on to some of the early House elements which are integral to any Chicago sound. The music on All Becomes Okay is a bit more ambient than other things they have done before yet it always maintains that ethereal and floating vibe. The house elements come in with the pumping beat, Shallou are relentless in making sure that though the music is kinda dreamy they want you to really dance to it even if it is downtempo most of the time. "Frictions" a previously released single really does soar and push the pace of the album forward. However much of the EP exists in a very similar state making it feel like an 18 minute dance mix rather than a five track EP. The record seems more like a great DJ set than individual songs which makes it hard to come back to Shallou again and again. Save for a few small changes it is hard to tell where you are at in the album at even given point, something they bring to their live sets and makes it very special but a feature that does not translate as well to an album.

There are certainly times where it feels like Shallou are a bit to delicate for their own good. "Begin" sounds really nice but is so precious it never really hits as hard as you want it too, it just sort of bobs along. The same claim could be made for a great deal of the record where something much bigger and bolder would be appropriate in places. They are able to create this really great ambient experience especially on songs like "...Love" but you are just begging for it to go further and push harder. That is really where the album falls, nice but it does not go far enough to really move the needle. However this is just a start for Shallou and a pretty solid start at that. Look out for them in the future because the structure is all there, we will just have to wait and see.

6.3 out of 10