Choke Enough

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Choke Enough
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Studio album by
Oklou
Released7 February 2025 (2025-02-07)
Genre
Length35:44
LabelTrue Panther Sounds
Producer
Oklou chronology
Galore Anniversary
(2021) 		Choke Enough
(2025)
Singles from Choke Enough
  1. "Family and Friends"
    Released: 18 September 2024
  2. "Harvest Sky / Obvious"
    Released: 16 October 2024
  3. "Choke Enough"
    Released: 21 November 2024
  4. "Take Me by the Hand"
    Released: 15 January 2025
  5. "Blade Bird"
    Released: 5 February 2025
  6. "Viscus"
    Released: 9 October 2025

Choke Enough (stylised in all lowercase) is the debut studio album by French musician, singer and producer Oklou. It released on 7 February 2025, via True Panther Sounds. The album features guest appearances by Swedish rapper and singer Bladee, and American musician Underscores. It was supported by the singles "Family and Friends", "Harvest Sky", the title track, "Take Me by the Hand", and "Blade Bird", which was named The Fader's #1 song of the year.[2] Choke Enough has received considerable critical acclaim, including being named as the best album of 2025 by Crack and Time Out, and as one of the best albums of the year by The New York Times, Pitchfork and The Fader.[3][4][5]

Background and recording

[edit | edit source]

Similarly to her 2020 mixtape Galore, Choke Enough was made primarily in collaboration with Canadian musician Casey MQ. The album took Oklou two and a half years to finish,[6] and explores "the quest of meaning".[7] She stated:

Choke Enough is a very intense album for me. It's filled with directions, tentatives and irregularities, reflecting on my last years on this planet as my heart and conscience has really decentered from myself.[8]

The album was primarily recorded in Paris, Los Angeles, and Cap Ferret.[9]

Release and promotion

[edit | edit source]

Oklou released the album's first single, "Family and Friends", on 18 September 2024.[10] She released "Harvest Sky" featuring Underscores and "Obvious" on 16 October 2024.[11] She announced the album on 21 November 2024 and released its title track.[12] She released "Take Me by the Hand" featuring Bladee as the album's fourth single on 15 January 2025.[13] "Blade Bird", the album's fifth single, was released on 5 February 2025.[14]

She announced a deluxe edition of the album, scheduled to release on 30 October 2025, on 8 October 2025 with the single "Viscus" featuring FKA Twigs.[15]

Remixes

[edit | edit source]

In December 2024, Oklou released two remixes of "Harvest Sky" with Underscores: the Danny L Harle C Mix and the Milkfish remix (a moniker of Underscores).[16]

Oklou released a remix EP for the album on 25 June 2025 featuring remixes from producers Jamesjamesjames, Malibu, Nick Léon, and Aaron Hibell.[17]

Critical reception

[edit | edit source]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
Paste8.8/10[19]
Pitchfork8.0/10[20]
The SkinnyStarStarStarStar[21]
Sputnikmusic3.6/5[22]

Choke Enough has been met with acclaim from music critics. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, it received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 6 critic scores.[18]

Writing for Pitchfork, Walden Green described Choke Enough as a "foggy, twilit fusion of Y2K worship and medieval melodicism" and praised how it was "cognizant of music theory, historical context, and most importantly, motif," leading him to feel that it was "more formally compelling than it is viscerally moving."[20] Paste's Matt Mitchell wrote that Oklou's references to grief, self-obsession, and neo-pagan rituals were only one layer to the project's "tabula rasa of tone poetry," noting that "its songs are sonorous, versatile and aim for intimacy rather than branding, cliché and casualness."[19]

Year-end lists

[edit | edit source]
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
The Atlantic The 10 Best Albums of 2025 2
[23]
BBC The Best Albums of 2025 4
[24]
Billboard The Best 50 Albums of 2025 41
[25]
Clash Albums of the Year 2025 37
[26]
Crack The Top 50 Albums of 2025 1
[3]
Dazed The 20 best albums of 2025 2 [27]
Exclaim! The Top 50 Albums of 2025 17
[28]
The Fader The 50 Best Albums of 2025 20
[5]
The Forty-Five The 45 Best Albums of 2025 11
[29]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2025 30
[30]
The Line of Best Fit The Best Albums of 2025 8 [31]
Loud and Quiet Loud and Quiet Albums of the Year 2025 14 [32]
The New York Times Best Albums of 2025 14
[4]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2025 6
[33]
The 20 best debut albums of 2025 — [34]
Oor Oor's 20 Best Albums of 2025 9
[35]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2025 6
[36]
The 27 best debut albums of 2025 3 [37]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2025 47 [38]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2025 4
[39]
Slant The 50 Best Albums of 2025 16
[40]
Stereogum Best Albums of 2025 3
[41]
Time Out The 25 best albums of 2025 1 [42]

Track listing

[edit | edit source]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Endless"
3:36
2."Thank You for Recording"
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
  • Cook
2:57
3."Family and Friends"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
2:57
4."Obvious"
  • Mayniel
  • Thompson-Hannant
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
2:16
5."ICT"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Cook
  • Oklou
  • Cook
  • Casey MQ
3:28
6."Choke Enough"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
  • Lucien Krampf[a]
4:00
7."(;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)[b]"
  • Mayniel
  • Leo Hoffsaes
Oklou0:48
8."Take Me by the Hand" (featuring Bladee)
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
  • Harle[a]
2:52
9."Plague Dogs"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
1:46
10."Forces"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
1:05
11."Harvest Sky" (featuring Underscores)
  • Oklou
  • Harle
  • Casey MQ
  • Nick Léon[a]
  • Underscores[a]
3:54
12."Want to Wanna Come Back"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
  • Harle[a]
2:46
13."Blade Bird"
  • Mayniel
  • Campany
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
3:19
Total length:35:44
Physical Release bonus track
No.TitleLength
14."Unknown track (Bébé Lou)"2:43
Total length:40:23 [c]
Choke Enough (Deluxe) track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Viscus" (featuring FKA Twigs)
  • Oklou
  • Harle
3:41
15."What's Good"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
  • Oklou
  • Casey MQ
3:24
16."The Fishsong Unplugged"
  • Grey
  • Oklou
  • Florian Le Prise
3:05
17."Dance 2"
  • Mayniel
  • Manierka-Quaile
4:52
Total length:50:46

Notes

  • All tracks are stylised in all lowercase.
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer.
  • ^[b]The title is pronounced “snif,” and for a brief period, it was even renamed as such on Spotify.[citation needed]
  • ^[c]There is a 1:56 minutes long silence between blade bird and bébé lou, extending the album playtime to 40:23 minutes.

Personnel

[edit | edit source]
  • Oklou – executive production, mixing (tracks 7, 10)
  • Nathan A. Salon – saxophone (track 1)
  • Casey MQ – vocal choir (track 3)
  • Zsela – vocal choir (track 3)
  • Cecile Believe – vocal choir (track 3)
  • Lillian Mille – trumpet (track 4)
  • Lucien Krampf – vocal engineering (track 6)
  • Florian Le Prisé – guitar (track 13)
  • Nathan Boddy – mixing (tracks 1–6, 8, 9, 11–13)
  • Matt Colton – mastering
  • Anthony Naples – Atmos mixing
  • Gil Gharbi – photography
  • Florian Solin – photography
  • Kim Coussée – artwork

Charts

[edit | edit source]
Chart performance for Choke Enough
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 80
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[44] 161
French Albums (SNEP)[45] 80
Scottish Albums (OCC)[46] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[47] 83
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[48] 4

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ https://www.thefader.com/2025/12/09/best-songs-2025
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  21. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  26. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  27. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  28. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  29. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  30. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  31. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  32. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  33. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  34. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  35. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  36. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  37. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  38. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  39. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  40. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  41. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  42. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  43. ^ "Ultratop.be – Oklou – Choke Enough" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  44. ^ "Ultratop.be – Oklou – Choke Enough" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  45. ^ "Lescharts.com – Oklou – Choke Enough". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  47. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  48. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=Choke_Enough&oldid=20162825"