Chloe x Halle

Ungodly Hour

It's undeniably pretty: stacked with the kind of clean harmonies and gently syncopated R&B that doesn't so much demand ear space as sidle up to it, unassumingly.

The Ungodly Hour is a soothing salve for a world on fire. It’s an avowal of sisterhood and sorority, a projection of a generation of young black women galvanized by a collective willingness to enact efficacious change in the face of adversity.

Instead of pop sugar-hit or arresting experimentation, Ungodly Hour’s draw lies in the detail; not only the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it strangeness ... but in the slow-burn appeal of the pair’s vocal melodies, which are habitually inventive, ornate and hauntingly beautiful.

American sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey began as child actors, before coming under the wing of Beyoncé, who signed them to her Parkwood label ... There’s plenty here to suggest Chloe X Halle have the chops to rival their superstar mentor.

On their sophomore album, Chloe and Halle take a versatile and tasteful approach to contemporary R&B.

While it evidently came together quicker and was shaped more by outsiders ... the Baileys' second album is really a refinement of and progression from The Kids Are Alright.

Their second album is a multi-faceted R&B treat, full of glistening vocal chemistry, sharp writing, and a self-determination you want to get up and cheer for.