AQUILO ‘Silhouettes’ – Album Review

Music fans in America and abroad have likely been searching more furiously than ever for a source of powerful, lasting emotional catharsis due to the harrowing, ridiculous and sometimes terrifying actions taken by the new President and his cabinet of fast and loose manipulators. With the next few years only looking bleaker, England based indie/dream pop duo Aquilo couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

Ben Fletcher and Tom Higham have been toiling away for years under the Aquilo moniker after growing up as neighbors in Silverdale’s Lake District and eventually forming a strong creative relationship. Their self-titled EP, released all the way back in early 2014, showed signs of tremendous potential due to the overwhelmingly emotional, swelling piano ballad ‘You There’. That single alone changed their lives forever, granting them a spot at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival and the chance to be seen and heard by thousands more.

Their signature brand of soothing, ethereal and deeply cathartic electro only grew bolder and more powerful as the band released a string of EPs (Human in late 2014, Calling Me in Summer 2015 and Painting Pictures of a War in Late 2015) and continued to draw in an increasingly sizeable legion of fans. Many began to wonder, though, if Aquilo would continue this pattern of putting out small batches of music here and there or if a proper, full length debut was perhaps just around the corner.

In the first month of 2017, Ben and Tom answered that burning question by finally releasing their debut LP Silhouettes. Longtime fans with doubtlessly be pleased with the continuation of the duo’s signature style as the album weaves together previously released (‘Human’, ‘Never Seen You Get So Low’) and brand new songs (‘Silhouette’) that reflect their earlier EPs while subtly exploring new creative ground. It isn’t a big step forward, which might disappoint some, but still delivers exactly what we’ve come to expect.

Matters start off on a high note as the title track sounds like the best song Adele never recorded. Pianos reminiscent of ‘Someone Like You’ tug at every heartstring and Ben pours his soul into the moving, vivid lyrics (“We’ve become echoes, but echoes that faded away / So let’s dance like two shadows burning out our glory days“), hitting the same heights of the aforementioned songstress.

Tangible pain can be felt behind Tom’s voice in the string filled ‘Blindside’ as he struggles with a failed relationship (“And I could say that I’m broken, but i’m not / And I could fake that i’m hurtin’ / but i know that’s all you want from me“). The ambient, SOHN-produced ‘Human’ packs an enormous punch of uplifting trip hop and the lyrics of “This is us, dust the dust up off your shoulders, / Feet on ground, you’ll come round, / And be human again” give some welcome respite from ‘Blindside’s heartbreak.

Silhouettes veers in another direction with the rumbling bass, R&B beats and subtle funk of the seductive, Justin Timberlake-ish ‘Never Hurt Again’ before the unmistakable strings of composer Ólafur Arnalds pulls ‘Almost Over’ and the LP back into familiar territory. Shades of the 1975 echo in the colorful keyboards and strumming guitars of ‘You Don’t Know Where You Stand’ and Tom even matches some of Matt Healy’ clever wordplay (“I wanna walk with you in someone’s shoes / From somebody else’s point of view“).

Once we hit this point in the album, many will begin to notice a lack of stylistic or emotional variation between songs. Even though Aquilo prove themselves adept at consistently creating a rich sense of mood and atmosphere, it becomes clear that they haven’t quite discovered their full musical range and from ‘I Gave It All’ onwards, Silhouettes comes dangerously close to turning into relaxing but indistinct background music.

‘I Gave It All’ does feature another heart wrenching performance from Tom but doesn’t do enough to separate itself from ‘Blindside’ or ‘Human’ and the 2 minute ‘All I Ever Wanted’, though lovely, remains on the same note throughout, never building towards anything more. The lyrical anguish reaches a potent, piercing high point on ‘Sorry’ (“I’m reminded of the fool I was / I cut you off and fucked it up again / I’m sorry that I let you go / I’m sorry that I cared“) but again, the homogeneous instrumentation blunts some of its’ impact.

Brooding guitars and a wild, stomping beat inject ‘Complication’ with some much needed energy and ‘Never Seen You Get So Low’ captures a vivid, Arctic soundscape with its’ twinkling electronics and chilly atmospherics. ‘Low Light’ takes a cue from Ghost Stories era Coldplay as it crests into an enormous electro ballad replete with an ensemble of soaring vocals and a subtle, percussive heartbeat.

The only true misfire on Silhouettes comes in the form of ‘Always Done What You Say’, an awkward blend of Adam Levine’s slinking vocals and lyrical bite (“You were young, and you were so God damn excited / Telling lies, you never thought would come to bite you / But darling, blood is thicker than you think it is“) that just comes across as the duo trying too hard. Thankfully, the resonating piano serenade ‘Waiting’ ends things much like they began.

If you’re looking to be cheered up, Silhouettes might not be the best place to start but if you’ve got a taste for piano balladry, comforting electronics and a singer who wears his heart proudly on his sleeve, there’s much to love. This being Aquilo’s debut, though, they missed an opportunity to really branch out creatively and boldly step beyond what’s come before. If Silhouettes is a summary of their journey so far, hopefully their next LP will push them forward in both confidence and mood.

Silhouettes gets a 7 out of 10!!

For fans of: Jamie xx, Amber Run, London Grammar, Oh Wonder & Jaymes Young

FAVORITE tracks: ‘Blindside’, ‘Human’, ‘Low Light’
WORST tracks: ‘Always Done What You Say’