Shallou

Joe Boston writes and produces warm yet melancholy electronic pop under the name Shallou. His songs are generally bright and sparkling and contain midtempo beats, yet as relaxed and summery as they seem, the lyrics are often quite sorrowful and forlorn. His 2018 release Souls reached the Top 25 in Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. His major-label debut, Magical Thinking, appeared in 2020, and he incorporated more acoustic instruments into his sound on 2021′s The Long Way Home. He’s taken his music in a more uptempo, house-influenced direction with 2023′s In Touch and singles like 2024′s “I Just Wanted to Dance.” Raised in Maryland, Boston attended college in New Orleans, began making music as Shallou in 2014, and moved to Chicago soon after. While his early songs featured his vocals, they were usually fragmented and textural; it wasn’t until later that he began composing fully lyrical tracks. The 2016 singles “Doubt [Summer Edit]” and tropical house track “Heights” received much online play, and Shallou (with Boston joined by Emilio Quezada) toured with artists such as El Ten Eleven and Roosevelt. In 2017, Shallou released a cover of Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack” and an original EP titled All Becomes Okay. A trio of singles, including the Kasbo and Cody Lovaas collaboration “Find,” preceded Shallou’s follow-up EP, Souls, which arrived in April 2018. Also included on the release was the single “Lie” featuring Riah. A couple of stand-alone singles, “All Your Days” and “Fading,” appeared in 2019, and early the following year, Shallou issued his full-length debut, Magical Thinking, through Island Records. He was featured on Petit Biscuit’s single “I Leave Again.” The Long Way Home, an introspective EP inspired by visiting seaside towns and escaping city life, was released by FADER Label in late 2021, followed by The Long Way Home (Remixes). The Ayokay collaboration “Us” and solo single “Save Some Room” appeared in 2022. Shallou released In Touch, his most club-friendly album yet, in 2023. He returned to downtempo, R&B-influenced material with 2024′s “iwaly,” then released the piano-driven house tracks “It’s You” (with Queen D) and “I Just Wanted to Dance” (with Night Tales). ~ Paul Simpson