God Said No

Last updated

God Said No
Omar Apollo - God Said No.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 28, 2024 (2024-06-28)
Studio Abbey Road, London, UK
Length45:12
Label Warner
Producer
Omar Apollo chronology
Live for Me
(2023)
God Said No
(2024)
Singles from God Said No
  1. "Spite"
    Released: April 5, 2024
  2. "Dispose of Me"
    Released: May 16, 2024
  3. "Less of You"
    Released: June 7, 2024

God Said No is the second studio album by American singer Omar Apollo, released on June 28, 2024, through Warner Records. It includes contributions from Mustafa and actor Pedro Pascal, and was preceded by the singles "Spite", "Dispose of Me" and "Less of You". [1]

Contents

Background and recording

God Said No was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and produced alongside Teo Halm, Carter Lang and Blake Slatkin. [2]

Apollo stated that the album is a "reflection of [his] life for the past 2 years" and "doesn't feel like it's a bunch of songs put together", calling it "a sequence that is made to be listened to front to back". [3] It was called a "survey of the emotional wreckage that followed the end of a torrid love affair" in a press release. [4] Apollo titled the album after a remark of his own when the relationship ended, which is also intended as a play on the Spanish phrase "lo que será, será" (English for "whatever will be, will be"). [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 82/100 [5]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 8/10 [6]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Dork Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]

God Said No received a score of 82 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, which the website categorized as "universal acclaim". [5] Larisha Paul of Rolling Stone praised the album as being "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". [11]

NME reviewer Laura Molloy described the album as "Apollo's most atmospheric offering to date" and praised the "eclectic, expansive sonic palette that constantly drifts between genres yet is anchored in his diaristic musings on finite romance". [9] In The New York Times , God Said No was selected as a NYT Critic's Pick. Reviewer Jon Pareles praised the "enduring break-up songs". He noted that the lo-fi tone of the album "suggests troubled thoughts and uncomfortable conversations, small-scale and introspective—seemingly private, not overtly theatrical". [12]

Tour

The album will be supported by the God Said No World Tour, which includes dates in the United States, Canada, Japan, Indonesia and Australia. The tour began in Melbourne, Australia at the Festival Hall on July 15, 2024, and will conclude in San Diego, California at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on October 11, 2024. [13]

Track listing

God Said No track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Be Careful with Me"
  • Slatkin
  • Lang
  • Halm
3:16
2."Spite"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Slatkin
  • Slatkin
  • Halm
2:39
3."Less of You"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
3:13
4."Done with You"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Lang
  • Slatkin
  • Dylan Wiggins
  • Slatkin
  • Lang
  • Wiggins
  • Apollo
  • Halm
  • Scott Bridgeway [a]
2:38
5."Plane Trees" (featuring Mustafa)
  • Apollo
  • Halm
3:31
6."Drifting"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
Halm4:23
7."Empty"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Slatkin
  • Slatkin
  • Apollo
  • Halm
  • Mark Kraus [a]
3:17
8."Life's Unfair"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
2:58
9."Against Me"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Mike Hector
  • Hector
  • Apollo
  • Halm
  • Adam Krevlin [a]
2:31
10."While U Can"
  • Velasco
  • Lang
  • Oscar Santander
  • Lang
  • Apollo
  • Santander
3:06
11."Dispose of Me"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Santander
  • Slatkin
  • Walsh
  • Slatkin
  • Santander
  • Halm
3:37
12."How"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Slatkin
  • Slatkin
  • Apollo
  • Halm
2:59
13."Pedro"
  • Apollo
  • Halm
2:26
14."Glow"
  • Velasco
  • Halm
  • Apollo
  • Halm
4:38
Total length:45:12

Note

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for God Said No
Chart (2024)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [14] 11
US Billboard 200 [15] 56
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [16] 14

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References

  1. Hussain, Shahzaib (May 20, 2024). "Omar Apollo Announces New Album God Said No". Clash . Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. Strauss, Matthew (May 16, 2024). "Omar Apollo Details Album, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Mier, Tomás (May 15, 2024). "Omar Apollo Announces Sophomore Album, God Said No". Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  4. Taylor, Sam (May 20, 2024). "Omar Apollo has announced his second album, God Said No". Dork . Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "God Said No by Omar Apollo Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  6. Virdi, Amrit (June 28, 2024). "Omar Apollo – God Said No | Reviews". Clash . Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  7. Robinson, Otis. "OMAR APOLLO - GOD SAID NO". DIY. DIY. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  8. Young, Martyn. "Omar Apollo – God Said No". Dork . Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Molloy, Laura (June 27, 2024). "Omar Apollo – God Said No review: finding peace in fate, family and friendship". NME . Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  10. Cliff, Aimee (July 10, 2024). "Omar Apollo: God Said No Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Paul, Larisha (June 24, 2024). "Omar Apollo Is the Sweet, Moody Pop Polymath We Need". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  12. Pareles, Jon (July 1, 2024). "Omar Apollo's Exquisite Heartache". The New York Times . Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  13. Lopez, Julyssa (June 6, 2024). "Omar Apollo Announces He'll Launch 'God Said No' Tour This Fall". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  14. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  15. "Omar Apollo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  16. "Omar Apollo Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard . Retrieved July 9, 2024.