Astralwerks released “Fool,” the new single from Arctic Lake’s forthcoming EP, How Do You Make It Look So Easy. The London-based duo – composed of vocalist Emma Foster and multi-instrumentalist/producer Paul Holliman – wrote the poignant track with Micah Jasper (The Revivalists, Channel Tres), who produced along with Holliman.
“One of my best friends was in a really volatile relationship; over the space of two years I watched her slowly disintegrate. She was worn down by it,” explains Emma Foster. “I started writing the song about that – ‘Eating away at me/ Keep fraying at the edges’ – and then the chorus: ‘I’m a fool to let you break me / I’m a fool to let you change me.’ Then I wrote the pre chorus about loving someone who has a side to them that scares you or makes you question your worth.
She adds, “I think it’s something a lot of us have experienced and that irrational excusing of the bad is something that is hard to see when you’re in it. So ‘Fool’ was born and I love it. Micah and Paul transformed it into a song that makes you want to move, it’s chaotic but there’s power and lightness. Now that my friend is on the other side of it and everyone I know is, it makes the whole thing a complete picture.”
Paul Holliman recalls, “‘Fool‘ came together really quickly at the end of a session – we’d tried three different ideas that day and nothing was working. It was 5:00 p.m. so, in my mind, we were calling it, but Emma wanted to try something else. I started playing the guitar part, Emma had the vocals in about 10 minutes and Micah put a donk on it! So credit to Emma for pushing through because I was very ready to head to the pub instead, and we would never have made this little tune that we ended up really liking.”
“Fool” follows the EP’s first two singles, “Silver Pendant” and “My Weakness.” The Honey Pop said, “‘Silver Pendant’ is an ethereal alt-pop anthem about infatuation…a twinkling track with delightful lyrics paired with beautifully gorgeous vocals.” “The London duo leans further into lustlorn electropop, noted Clash Music. ”There’s another EP…in the pipeline…and ‘Silver Pendant’ definitely wets the appetite for that.” Praising “My Weakness,” Popdust observed, “It’s traditional Arctic Lake, an open-hearted single about how, when you’re in love, it can be your greatest strength and weakness.”
Arctic Lake’s intimate alt-pop is a study in the art of baring it all. Vulnerability has become their most potent weapon—the foundation for the poignant, provocative synth-laced landscapes heard in their debut single “Limits” and a moody, majestic string of EPs that include Closer, What You May Find, See Inside and 2022’s side by side we lie awake, which Atwood Magazine praised as a “shiver-inducing collection of stirring alt-pop ready to break our hearts and mend our souls.” Arctic Lake has also scored hit collaborations with producers like ZHU (“Yours”), German DJ Boris Brejcha (“House Music”) and Lane 8 (“Road,” What Have You Done To Me?”).
