We've been following Cumbrian boys Aquilo for some time now - even catching one of their first London appearances in the close confines of Soho House - and their progression from those initial ultra-emotive, but skeletal compositions ('You There') to this latest release, 'Put Me Down', is both surprising and rewarding. Drawing more on soul and R&B - particularly out of the US - than their bracing minor key indie-pop of old, Tom and Ben have ramped up the grooves, and their sound is all the fuller for it. Softly-spoken guitars delicately unfurl and lovelorn keyboard arpeggios still flicker like a candles fighting to burn but it's the bulked-up basslines which really impress, wob-wobbing along in a more sultry manner than ever before. Now they've found their footing, there's really no stopping these guys now. - DC