Joe Boston writes and produces warm yet melancholy electronic pop under the name
Shallou. His songs are generally bright and sparkling and contain mid-tempo 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.
Raised in Maryland,
Boston attented 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 album 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). ~ Paul Simpson