Photo by Gil Gharbi and Florian Solin

Choke Enough, the debut full-length album by French artist, Oklou, invites listeners into her hauntingly beautiful world of electro-pop. On this album Oklou, also known as Marylou Mayniel, creates an electronic orchestra, using her voice as an instrument, rather than another layer to her sound. Blending beats with storytelling, this album feels both intimate and expansive. Mayniel is able to pull listeners in, subtly placing feelings of doubt and fear into her tracks, while also singing about fast-paced sugar highs and acts of love. 

On this release, she creates a dreamy, futuristic atmosphere, immersing listeners in an entirely different world. Her ability to blend playful melodies with intricate lyrics lure the listener into her constructed dreamland full of sea foam, harvest skies, and poems written in the sand. 

For listeners familiar with the world of synth-pop and vocal harmonies, you might be able to draw an immediate connection between Mayniel and Caroline Polachek. The two previously collaborated in 2021 when Mayniel opened for Polachek during her “Heart is Unbreaking Tour”, as well as remixed Polacheck’s “Door.” With this new release, Mayniel is proving she can sit amongst her contemporaries, with songs that blend effortlessly with the sounds of FKAtwigs’ Eusexua and Polacheck’s Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. 

In Choke Enough, Oklou joins forces with powerhouses such as A.G. Cook, Bladee, and Underscores, putting her amongst new-wave pop royalty. Together, they created tracks such as “Thank You for Recording,” “Take Me By the Hand,” and “Harvest Sky.” 

The title track of the album, “Choke Enough,” challenges listeners to feel as much emotion as they can in their everyday life. Using the phrase to describe what it's like to have a reaction so grand it's enough to make you choke. Mayniel sings about being so moved by something you forget where you are, “I’ll crash this car to take a photo”. Living in a world where everything is moving 100 miles a minute, it can feel hard to take time to appreciate the little things But Mayniel is carving out space to do so, even if it means taking her foot off the gas. 

The fifth track of the album, “Ict” follows that notion, hypnotically chanting about instant gratification and pleasure. Mayniel writes “Ict” about chasing her indulgences in a song that feels like a retelling of a dream. With the lyric motif of “strawberry dancer,” “vanilla summer,” and “ice cream truck,” Mayniel sings notes of nostalgia. This song captures the intense and manic high a person feels when they are in pursuit of their desires. It illuminates controlled chaos, eloquently describing messy excitement. 

Posing the question “Should I hold you while I can?”, “Blade Bird” proves to be the standout on the album. The song starts with a slow guitar strum and seamlessly transitions into an electro-drum beat, displaying her control over her sound. In “Blade Bird,” she sings about a relationship where she feels her partner pulling away. The song uses bird and cage metaphors to illustrate Mayniel’s control over her partner. As she feels them slipping away, she puts her “blade on the bird” in an act to keep her partner from leaving, but admits to knowing she’s the one who will end up hurt, whether that be emotionally or physically.

Oklou’s Choke Enough is a captivating listen that pulls you in and leaves you wanting more. The different elements in each track like the bird chirps in “Blade Bird”, the trumpets in “Ict”, and the siren in “(:´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)” showcase the meticulous attention to detail put into making the album. With this release, Mayniel has set the stage for something special, inviting listeners into her mysterious, symphonic dreamscape.  

16 MARCH 2025