Odeal - The Fall That Saved Us (EP)
After gracing us with 7-track EP The Summer That Saved Me with songs on repeat like anthems, Odeal is back with the smooth, mellow EP The Fall That Saved Us, a stunning 9-track continuation from the romance of summer, out now on all platforms via LVRN Records and OVMBR.
OVMBR (Our Variances Make Us Bold & Relentless), reflectively embodies collective empowerment, and the progression of Me to Us in this introspective new project, which feels like yet another pivotal moment for Odeal’s well crafted artistry. With a meaningful cadence to the tracklist, everything associated with fall; the ego-death, shedding and chance for renewal is curated into this EP.
With his multicultural, cross-continental influence Odeal’s soulful signature sound feels criminal to box into a singular genre, blending R&B, Afrobeats and Soul which continues beautifully into the new EP. I’m starting backwards here, but the closing track N.I.T.S (Nights in the Sun) featuring Wizkid felt to me like a summer-like bop, not quite a moody autumnal track you’d be playing wrapped in blankets with a pumpkin latte. But then I remembered two things: a) not everywhere is cold (globally) in this season, and b) a little spice keeps us going all year round!
In The Fall That Saved Us, Odeal serenades his reflective interpretations of the joys and perils of love and connection; playing between trust, betrayal and reckoning with deep resonance, sonically pulling on what feels an emotional thread that connects our collective experiences. What do they say; different paths, same journey. That level of relatability mixed with nuance makes Odeal’s genre-blending music resonate with over 4 million listeners worldwide and set to grow exponentially further, winning two prestigious MOBO Awards for Best R&B/Soul Act and Best Newcomer.
Photo Credit: Jack McKain
Back to the tracks, Odeal creates a warm vibe throughout the EP; diving straight in with emotive string textures, Reason featuring Elijah Fox is a soft ode to lingering love, then soon deepens into tracks Molotov, Blur and Addicted exploring themes of walking the line between restraint, temptation and options. Between these, there feels to be an empathic tone sprinkled with tough love in Cold World, while Pretty Girls pulls back the veil on the quiet insecurities tucked within what seems to be even the most self-assured women. In Wicked, Odeal lays bare the quiet torment of staying in a damaging love, a cycle familiar to many a heart. The narrative arcs takes listeners towards a spiritual plane in Children of Yeshua, proclaiming the power of grace beyond self.
With this project feeling like a ‘let me hold your hand while I say this’, Odeal is a craftsman at developing art which carries real emotional weight and leaves a meaningful footprint on today’s music landscape.
Blending music and the culture, I had FOMO to the highest degree watching highlights from The Fall That Saved Us X The New Originals customisation workshop at their flagship store in Amsterdam on November 19th in collaboration with cultural tastemaker and multi-creative Eben Badu. Guests got to customise a hoodie that reads The _____ That Saved Us filling in their own idea, an interactive way of engaging with the project. This is just another example of Odeal’s commitment to creativity as a whole and building an experience within and beyond the music.
The Fall That Saved Us is available now on all streaming platforms.
