Throughout the chaos that has been the last two years, there have only been a handful of things that have helped us maintain some sort of sanity. In particular this year, Shallou has been one of those real treats for us with cinematic soundscapes full of wonder and tranquility such as ‘Heartaches’, ‘High Tide’ and ‘Here’, and now the Los Angeles artist has gone full circle with one of his strongest releases to date in ‘The Long Way Home’ EP which will take you to your happy place instantly.
‘The Long Way Home’ continues where its predecessors left off with two previously unheard singles in ‘Closer’ and ‘Pacifica’ acting as the bookends for the track listing. With ‘Closer’ opening up the EP, Shallou provides a calmness immediately with a minimalistic beginning of merely the luscious keys and guitars coupling beautifully with his haunting vocals. In true fashion, it doesn’t take long for the groove to kick in with a deepened backbone creating a real vibrancy amongst the elegance on offer that explodes in the latter stages with a surge of energy. ‘Pacifica’ on the other hand continues the notion of openness with a gentle introduction of nature samples and enlightening keys which swiftly shifts into an energetic wall of sound courtesy of the synths and penetrating percussion that smacks you across the face with its uplifting power.
“The EP began as an ode to this town near San Francisco that I visited called Pacifica, where I felt true inner peace and was able to let the past few years of my career fully wash over me. The town reminds me of my childhood trips to southern Maine; the ocean laps against large rock formations and the town feels sleepy and calm. Fishermen dangle their rods into the ocean from a long historic-looking pier, hoping for a bite. The air is misty and crisp, something I don’t experience too often in LA, where I live in a bustling community. During COVID, I had some extremely difficult mental struggles – I was diagnosed with OCD and anxiety/depression consumed everything. In 2021, working on the new music represented a safe place I could escape to just like Pacifica, just like home.” – Shallou