Aquilo are an English musical duo from Silverdale, Lancashire, consisting of Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher. They began gaining recognition in 2013 for their singles such as "Calling Me" and "You There", in addition to their five EPs.
Aquilo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Silverdale, Lancashire, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
The duo's debut album, Silhouettes, was released on 27 January 2017. Their second studio album, ii, was released on 4 May 2018, and the third studio album A Safe Place To Be was released on 15 October 2021.
History
editCareer beginnings
editMembers Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher grew up as neighbours in Silverdale, Lancashire. They were both part of rivaling rock bands in their hometown.[3][4] Higham studied music production in university.[3] The two worked on their musical projects individually before collaborating as Aquilo.[5]
2013–present: Aquilo, Human, and Calling Me
edit
Aquilo began receiving attention in 2013 for their debut tracks "You There" and "Calling Me".[3][4][6] "You There" was included in BBC Radio 1's playlist on 12 June 2014 and the "Best Of BBC Introducing Stage" choices.[7] The song was also featured in the trailer for the 2014 independent drama Camp X-Ray.[8][9] Additionally, they performed "Calling Me" and "You There" on the BBC Introducing stage at the 2014 Glastonbury Festival 2014 on 28 June 2014.[10] They also played at the 2014 Kendal Calling festival.[11] Their first EP, Aquilo, was released on 3 March 2014.
On 8 December 2014, they released their second EP, Human.
On 5 March 2015, their collaboration with popular disc jockey Vanic, "Losing You", was released onto YouTube and SoundCloud. It has so far accumulated over 7.5 million 'plays' on SoundCloud as of 10 April 2017.[12] They also collaborated with French DJ and record producer Madeon on "Innocence" from his debut album, Adventure, on 27 March. Besides collaborations, their third EP, Calling Me, was released at the start of June that year. Another EP, Painting Picture Of A War, was later released on 4 December.
On March 17th 2016, they played alongside alt-pop duo Oh Wonder, at O2 Forum Kentish Town, London.
In November 2016, the band appeared on Enigma's eighth studio album The Fall of a Rebel Angel. They provided vocals to the album's closing track and second single, respectively, "Amen".[13]
On 27 January 2017, the duo released their debut album, Silhouettes.[2] Their second studio album, ii, was released on 4 May 2018.[14]
Musical style
editAquilo's music have been described mainly as alternative, as well as electronica, dream pop, ambient and indie. They are known for producing "soft, calm electro-pop",[4] "chilled electronic",[15] "ravishingly refined sort of dreamily sad electronica",[3] and "fragile dream pop laced with subtle electronica and soulful vocals."[16]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | Label | Format | UK Update[17] | |
| Silhouettes | 27 January 2017 | Island | CD
Digital download |
64 |
| ii | 4 May 2018 | Island | CD
Digital download |
– |
| A Safe Place To Be | 15 October 2021 | AWAL | CD
Digital download |
– |
| A Quiet Invitation To a Hard Conversation | 9 August 2024 | AWAL | Digital download | – |
| You Should Get Some Sleep | 6 December 2024 | AWAL | Digital download | – |
EPs
edit| Title | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release date | Label | Format | |
| Aquilo | 3 March 2014 | Believe | Digital download |
| Human | 8 December 2014 | Island | Digital download
12" |
| Calling Me | 1 June 2015 | ||
| Painting Pictures of a War | 4 December 2015 | ||
| Midnight (Live) | 29 January 2016 | ||
| In the Low Light (Live) | 5 May 2017 | Digital download | |
| ii (Side A) | 17 November 2017 | Digital download | |
| Sober | 8 July 2020 | AWAL | Digital download
12" |
Singles
edit- "You There" (2014)
- "I Gave It All" (2014)
- "Losing You" (2014)
- "Calling Me" (2015)
- "Good Girl" (2015)
- "Sorry" (2016)
- "So Close to Magic" (2016)
- "Amen" (2016)
- "You Won't Know Where You Stand" (2017)
- "Silhouette" (2017)
- "Almost Over" (2017)
- "I Could Fight on a Wall" (2017)
- "Thin" (2017)
- "Who Are You" (2017)
- "Silent Movies" (2018)
- "Seagull" (2018)
- "Sober" (2020)
- "Just Asking" (2020)
- "Always Forever" (2020)
- "Moving On" (2020)
- "Missing the Mark" (2020)
- "Out in LA" (2021)
- "Our Bones Turn To Stone" (2021)
- "I Wanna See You Smile" (2021)
- "Painkiller" (2024)
References
edit- ^ "Aquilo: Biography, albums, streaming links". AllMusic Guide.
- ^ a b c Havens, Lyndsey. "English Duo AQUILO On Their Atmospheric Debut Album, Anxiety & More". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Lester, Paul (7 April 2014). "New Band of the Week: Aquilo (No 1,736)". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ a b c Brinnand, Emily (29 April 2013). "Aquilo – New Band Up North #24". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Aquilo – New Music". Telegraph.co.uk. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ^ "Aquilo – "You There"". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Radio 1 Playlist". BBC. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Best of BBC Introducing". Glastonbury. BBC. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Reilly, Travis (8 August 2014). "Kristen Stewart Shakes Bella Swan Stigma in First 'Camp X-Ray' Trailer". The Wrap. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
The trailer contains ... Aquilo's haunting song "You There" ...
- ^ "Aquilo". Glastonbury. BBC. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ "Lineup 2014". Kendal Calling. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Vanic x Aquilo – Losing You". SoundCloud.
- ^ Amen by Enigma on Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "ii – Aquilo – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
- ^ "Aquilo Interview". Banana. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014.
- ^ Aquilo – Agenda – Ancienne Belgique – Official Website zebrix.abconcerts.be
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Update Top 100 30 January 2017 – 05 February 2017". Official Charts Company. OCC. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
