Since releasing their first two albums, ‘Silhouettes‘ and ‘ii‘, Aquilo is returning with a new taste of music, continuing their signature, emotive music sound, but stepping further to produce new music with additional elements. Duo Tom Higham and Ben Fletcher have released their recent single called ‘Out in LA‘.
Sometimes you travel away from home and venture to the same place that feels like home, but there are moments when you can go to this repeated area, and you can momentarily feel disconnected from it. On the other hand, while feeling like this, it still draws you in with the beautiful views you will always love. This is how ‘Out in LA‘ is conveyed.
From the last EP in 2020, ‘Sober‘, their new single brings new styles of music to the song. While ‘Sober‘ was a creation of sweet-sounding, piano orientated music, ‘Out in LA‘ adds a midtempo range, combining the piano keys and drums, making it a novel sound of Aquilo’s.
The single was about the duo’s experiences of their sessions in the City of Angels. Their previous label sent them with instructions to “write a hit” with a conveyor belt of co-writers, despite achieving their early success while working independently. They struggled with writing a hit and opened up to this through Tom’s lyrics. “It’s not so terrible waking up in the sun/ It’s a shame I don’t love it like everyone/ What a paradise, living life in the skies/ It’s a midnight, wave goodbye kind of high.”
“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.”
Despite their troubles described in the lyrics, the music gives it a boost of positivity and it is reminded of the dreamy, 70s boy-band, The Beach Boys, with their classic summery song, ‘Good Vibrations’. The single gives listeners an idea of what will be expected on Aquilo’s third upcoming album this year.
Although Aquilo felt they didn’t achieve anything in the sessions, it allowed them to give these experiences a chance to be heard about in a sweet single. With the help of their producer, Jack Sibley, the single has character and is a chilled out song that people can relax to.
Why not listen to ‘Out in LA‘ now?