HÆLOS

English electronic outfit Hælos surfaced during the first half of the 2010s, reviving trip-hop through layers of hypnotic atmospherics, pulsing beats, and haunting vocals. Their approach recalled the work of Moby, Massive Attack, and the xx, leading to the 2016 arrival of debut album Full Circle and the 2019 release of follow-up Any Random Kindness.

The U.K. trio of Arthur Delaney, Lotti Benardout, and Dom Goldsmith initially operated without a press photo, an absence that created unintended mystique rather than deliberate secrecy. After unveiling the video for “Dust” at the close of 2014 with minimal announcement, the group drew interest from listeners intrigued by the lack of background details. Male-female vocal interplay combined with atmospheric soundscapes produced a wide-screen, cinematic quality that felt simultaneously hypnotic and seductive, a mood the band labeled “dark euphoria.” Subsequent 2015 singles “Pray,” which channeled some of Moby’s most uplifting tunes, and “Earth Not Above” refreshed the cool restraint of ’90s trip-hop by injecting a contemporary drive, as if the xx had a little more fire in their blood, Portishead lightened up a bit, or Massive Attack were a little friendlier. Matador Records signed the act in March 2015; throughout that year they performed several prominent industry showcases before issuing debut EP Earth Not Above, which contained the already-released title track alongside three additional songs. One year later they delivered first full-length Full Circle, which reached the Top Five of the Billboard electronic chart.

Early 2019 saw the addition of new member Daniel Vildósola and the unveiling of single “Kyoto.” The expansive club cut appeared on sophomore album Any Random Kindness, issued that May.