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Dec 13, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by René Marban

Chicago-based alt-R&B duo The O’My’s have shared a new EP, No Swimming, out now via ADA / Warner Music Group. The pair have long been mainstays in the Chicago soul and R&B scene, notching a number of high profile collaborations including work with Chance the Rapper, Noname, Saba, Ab-Soul, and Pink Siifu. The pair broke into new horizons with their 2018 record, Tomorrow, and followed with a 2019 EP, Above Ground.

The duo’s new EP sees vocalist-guitarist Maceo Vidal-Haymes and multi-instrumentalist Nick Hennessey exploring love and loss, all framed with the looming specter of the pandemic. In the pandemic the pair decamped to their newly built studio, looking to capture much-needed love and community in their latest work.

As Vidal-Haymes explains, “This group of songs are all reflections on human relationships when viewing them in their absence and in isolation. There’s a tug of war between faith and trust, you need to protect your heart, but also need to have it open to find joy. Working on songs so deeply tied to human connection in the dead of the pandemic was, in many ways, cathartic and healing. Looking at these complicated parts of our lives from different perspectives gave us new understandings and taught us patience.”

The EP was preceded by previous singles, “Realistic” and “Lonely.” The former saw the pair diving into glassy and intimate territory, assisted by singer/songwriter Alex Banin. Meanwhile, the latter conjures irrestible brass grooves, burnished by alluring harmonies and warm instrumentation.

Along with their singles, the band has also shared the EP’s opener “Shady” and the brief mid-EP gem, “Synthy.” On these tracks, fans can see the pair’s expanding range and studio talents at play, with both feeling like meticulously-arranged creations yet fully distinct. The entrancing guitar-driven grooves “Shady” take on a psychedelic element as the song nears it’s ends, with the pair pulling intimate studio details into the song to give it a fluid, ever-shifting climax. Meanwhile, “Synthy” makes brilliant use of space and silence, creating an expansive R&B soundscape.

Finally, the collection closes out with the band’s new single, “Dragon,” featuring another fellow Chicago native, femdot. Opening with piano balladry and Vidal-Haymes’ otherworldly falsetto, a laid-back beat, and gospel harmonies join the mix before femdot comes in for his show-stopping finale. Femdot’s feature brings the EP to a close, encapsulating its themes of growth and change in its final moments.

Vidal-Hymes says of the song, “‘Dragon’ as a song has many beginnings. The first few lyrics were ‘I’ve found, finally found what makes me, makes me want to sing.’ Ironically, the week after penning these lyrics, my voice was gone for many months, and for a time, I could not speak at all. This time was the cause of a lot of self doubt and fear for the future. Fast forward, Nick began playing a new chord progression that summoned these same lyrics and melody out of me again. The song is about celebrating who and what we have in our lives today, what we have lost, and what we aspire towards - all of which cannot be reached without love.”

Check out the EP below, out everywhere now via ADA / Warner Music Group.