Repetition and Renewal in Oklou’s “choke enough (Deluxe)”
Design by Katie Lew
By Katie Lew
Oklou’s debut album choke enough was released earlier this year and now, about 9 months later, she has come out with 4 new songs on the deluxe version. In June, she released a remix EP with four of the original tracks off of choke enough with features from Nick Leon, Malibu, Aaron Hibell, and Jamesjamesjames. Originally, choke enough had tracks with Bladee and Underscores, but on the deluxe there is an additional feature from FKA Twigs. This has been widely anticipated, and these 4 additional tracks off of the deluxe album have only amplified the acclaim and further explored the unique style of the album.
In her announcement of the new deluxe album on Instagram, Oklou notes, “wish I could’ve done more tbh but a baby needs his mother.” Oklou gave birth to her firstborn son in June of this year shortly after the initial release of choke enough in February. In an interview with NME, Oklou talks about how starting a family has changed her creative process going into making these additional tracks. She says, “After what I’ve experienced– and after having thought about love so much, and questioning the way I’m built for that– I couldn’t make music the same way.” The producer of choke enough, Danny Harle, wrote about “Viscus feat. FKA Twigs” on Instagram saying, “When we put the skeleton of this song together, it had no lyrics, just a framework of beautiful interconnecting melodies. A few months later I saw a Tiktok of Marylou [Oklou] performing it with lyrics that weaved her experience of pregnancy and memory into the fabric of the song. It was a profound experience… Marylou then left it to me to finish the production whilst she had her baby and record Twigs singing the feature, which came very easily to her, the perfect addition lyrically and melodically to the composition.” These new additions are notably influenced by Oklou’s new perspective on life from motherhood that has come from the months following the album’s initial release.
Choke enough initially had repetitive production and melodies, many of the songs lacked lyrical depth or compositional variation. The songs that stood out the most were the collaborative songs with Bladee and underscores, “take me by the hand” and “harvest sky,” along with the closing track “blade bird.” The ethereal pop and electronic experimentation throughout was consistent but slowly became monotonous. The many interludes and long instrumental introductions on Disc. 1 left the album too often lulled. Now on Disc. 2, I feel a reintroduction into the universe of choke enough, but with new variations in production with the feature of FKA Twigs. As seen through the collaboration with Bladee and underscores on Disc. 1, Oklou adapts to their musical styles and slight producing undertones. For example, the digital vaporwave cloud-rap sounds from “take me by the hand” sounds like it could be something off of Bladee’s album, Crest (2020), and the manic glitchy hyperpop of “harvest sky” sounds like something off of underscore’s Wallsocket (2023) if it was blasted in the other room. This new track with FKA Twigs introducing Disc. 2 reflects influence from the cyber-sonic landscape from FKA Twigs’ projects like Eusexua (2025).
“What’s good” and “the fishsong unplugged” introduce some instrumental elements that were lacking throughout choke enough initially. With more guitar from “the fishsong unplugged” and atmospheric piano from “what’s good,” these classical elements tie well into the digital fluidity of the computer-pop nature of the album. With a complete shift in soft instrumentals, “dance 2” blares the hype club beat we’ve all been needing from Oklou’s production. The build of the bass leading to the chorus really shows her leaning into the dance-pop genre. Throughout choke enough, she shifts between pop and ambient instrumentals while “Dance 2” is a full dive into the electronic hyperpop side of her music that hides beneath all of her songs. The riff in the chorus and bridge is undeniably similar and reminiscent of “Love Me Harder” by Ariana Grande. It feels like something from 2016 when Zedd was all the rage and brings back a playfulness of house-techno music that Oklou greatly fits into.
choke enough (Deluxe) feels like both a continuation and a rebirth of Oklou’s creative voice. The added tracks enrich the emotional and sonic landscape of the original album, which also reflects her growth as an artist and new mother. What once felt repetitive now feels renewed and layered with maturity. Both creative and personal, Oklou’s sound breathes new life into an already compelling body of work.