Kllo are an electronic pop duo inspired by 2-step garage and the wispier aspects of contemporary R&B. Initially known as
Klo, the pair released their first EP in 2014 and refined their approach with more the danceable, emotional full-lengths
Backwater (2017) and Maybe We Could (2020).
Based in Melbourne, Australia, collaborating cousins
Chloe Kaul (vocals) and
Simon Lam (production) debuted in 2014 with "Make Me Wonder," a shadowy and restrained track playlisted by BBC Radio 1. The single led to Cusp, the duo's first EP, released on Dot Dash in December 2014.
Kllo subsequently joined the roster of
PIAS subsidiary Different for their 2016 release
Well Worn. In the U.S., the EP -- which offered more cozy, tautly constructed ballads and intimate club tracks -- was handled by Ghostly International. Beginning in July of the following year, a new single arrived monthly through October, when
Kaul and
Lam also issued
Backwater, their debut album. The duo were featured on
Chrome Sparks' eponymous 2018 full-length, and they released the singles "Potential" and "Candid" that year, followed by "Back to You" in 2019. Another single, "Only Existence"/"Final," was released in early 2020, with proceeds benefitting First Nations communities and fire services following the outbreak of bushfires in Australia that year.
Kaul (as Chloe Kae) also released a solo single, "Misconception," produced by
Machinedrum. The breakbeat-heavy single "Still Here" preceded Maybe We Could, the second
Kllo full-length, which arrived in July of 2020. ~ Andy Kellman