Aquilo – Silhouettes

Aquilo’s First Full-Length Album, Silhouettes

Warning: Do not listen to Aquilo’s Silhouettes if you are currently dealing with a broken heart—unless you’re one of those people who enjoys torturing yourself by listening to tear-jerking love songs as you cry and binge eat Ben & Jerry’s.

Aquilo are composed of Britain’s Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher. What started as songwriting and production practice for the duo has since turned into a handful of EPs that ended up gaining them a dedicated following of fans. Television ads, film trailers and prominent television shows, including Vampire Diaries, Grey’s Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars, have even featured Aquilo’s tracks. They are known for their romantic lyrics and down-tempo electronic ambience.

Aquilo are debuting their first full-length album, Silhouettes, which is a lovely compilation of emotional and intimate songs that feature themes like heartache, loss, love and everything in between. Released through Harvest Records, pretty much all 14 tracks in Silhouette are filled with heart-wrenching lyrics and harmonically-rich vocals that electrify your soul with every second. Band members Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher’s rich voices harmonize perfectly and pile beautifully on top of soft piano melodies and soft electronic sounds throughout.

Silhouettes also combines the electronic duo’s personal experiences and their British surroundings, which provide the album with so much intimacy and affection that it’s hard not to completely lose yourself in each song. The album begins with delicate piano ballads that transform into a more electronic, optimistic tone grasping your attention before returning to a heavier, deeper tone. Emotional songs like their opener “Silhouette,” along with “Sorry” and “Waiting,” will have you floating into a state of warmth and nostalgia. Sexier, more upbeat tracks like “Never Hurt Again” and “Complication” switch up the style of Silhouette while still managing to maintain their melancholy, down-tempo electronic sound.

With Aquilo’s echoing harmonies and love songs, it is not surprising that they have been compared to acclaimed English artists such as Mount Kimbie, James Blake, London Grammar and Sampha. And their debut album should have no problem gaining the same recognition as these big-time artists.