Nearly all of their songs are about heartbreak, loss, and regret, but songs such as "Human" (produced by kindred spirit Sohn) contain a small flicker of hope. Hailing from the village of Silverdale in Northern England, the duo played in harder-edged rock bands, often sharing gigs, before beginning to write softer material as solo artists. They came across one another's music online, and seeing that they lived close to each other, a collaboration was natural. They began writing songs as Aquilo in 2013, and they released a self-titled EP in early 2014. The songs immediately received attention from blogs, and "You There" received BBC Radio 1 airplay. The duo appeared at the BBC Introducing stage of the 2014 Glastonbury Festival, and their performance was received warmly. Island Records signed the duo and released their second EP, Human, by the end of the year. The duo contributed to Madeon's debut album Adventure in early 2015, and a collaboration with Vanic titled "Losing You" appeared online, receiving millions of hits. Aquilo's third EP, Calling Me, appeared in June of 2015. Painting Pictures of a War, an EP of previously released singles, was released at the end of the year. In early 2016, the duo moved to London and released a live EP titled Midnight. ~ Paul Simpson