Over the course of their first two albums, ‘Silhouettes’ and ‘ii’, Aquilo earned the duo a legion of global fans, exceeded 250 million streams, and picked up Radio 1 airplay plus praise from the likes of The Line of Best Fit and Wonderland. Now the duo, Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher, commence a brand new era in their career as they today share the new single ‘Out In LA’. It’s the first track to preview their upcoming third album, which will follow later this year via AWAL.

‘Out In LA’ reflects upon Aquilo’s experiences during sessions in the City of Angels. They had been sent by their previous label with the instructions to “write a hit” with a conveyor belt of co-writers, despite achieving their early success while working independently. While Tom Higham’s lyrics openly admit those struggles - caused by the situation rather than the location - Aquilo’s revitalised positive attitude highlights the hedonism of making the most of the situation. 

And ultimately they crafted a joyous sound that transports you poolside at the Chateau Marmont, bathed in shimmering sunlight with a cold drink at hand and not a care in the world. It also captures the fresh expansion of their style, falling somewhere between dreamy, mid ‘70s  Beach Boys harmonies and the modern psychedelic swirl of Tame Impala. LISTEN HERE. WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO HERE.

"We wrote this song after a writing trip in LA. Unfortunately, it was less fruitful than desired and we left with literally nothing to show” explain Aquilo. “LA holds a special place in our hearts but this time it really got the better of us. We came home and decided to start a side project and leave Aquilo alone for a while. A week or so after we got home to the UK, we wrote this song. This song was the first of many to pull us into a new creative headspace.  Friends convinced us the side project wasn’t a side project but the new Aquilo album.  There is now a full album coming in October, and we’ve never been more excited and proud to bring something to life."

The duo returned home after the Los Angeles trip, and decided to put Aquilo indefinitely on ice. They hooked up with producer Jack Sibley (Pedestrian, North Downs, Maribou State) and let their creativity flow, just as they had done back when they first started. It was an epiphany, and the start of what they thought was a brand new project together. Yet in time, they came to realise that the combination of Tom’s vocals and Ben’s instrumentation couldn’t be anyone else. Aquilo had instead been reborn, broader in scope, stately in scale, and simply a level above anything they had created before.

‘Out In LA’ builds upon the leap forwards that Aquilo took with last year’s ‘Sober’ EP. Their newfound creative freedom inspired a host of new textures, sounds and styles that they wove into their delicate sonic blueprint. And the single’s rich reinvention provides a tantalising first taste of what to expect from the Silverdale duo’s forthcoming third album.

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Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.