Arctic Lake reaches out on heartfelt new song “Are You Okay?” via Astralwerks
Emma Foster’s expressive vocals and Paul Holliman’s bright, buoyant production combine to deliver a reassuring message about restoring personal connections that have gotten frayed by outside demands. The London-based duo collaborated on the track with Donny Bravo.
Arctic Lake’s Emma Foster says: “We wrote ‘Are You Okay?’ after our first trip to the U.S., where we had a whirlwind of sessions. I realized I had been so caught up in everything that I had completely checked out from the one person who meant the most to me.” “Today, we have all this technology connecting us and separating, all at once. Communicating should be easier than ever but when you’re busy, connection is sometimes the first thing to close down.”
The duo’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. They’ve also scored hit dance collaborations with producers like ZHU (“Yours,” which rose to No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart), German DJ Boris Brejcha (“House Music”) and Lane 8 (“Road,” What Have You Done To Me?”).
Atwood Magazine observed: Hailing side by side we lie awake as a “shiver-inducing collection of stirring alt-pop ready to break our hearts and mend our souls,” “Arctic Lake’s music can at times feel as cool and chilling as their name, yet there’s something especially heated about the duo’s latest EP: A warmth that comes from their music’s unabridged, unadulterated honesty and a willingness to get up-close and vividly personal in song.”
Dancing Astronaut praised the duo’s “breathtaking return” and noted: “[The EP] encompasses more than just a collection of songs, with lyrics journeying through an array of meaning.” Lately Zine noted, “With their blend of emotional and touching songwriting with the fun punchy production, it’s impossible not to love them.”
