Silhouettes (album)

*For other uses, see Silhouettes (disambiguation)*.

## Singles from *Silhouettes*

1. "My Paradise"
Released: May 22, 2015
2. "Set Sail"
Released: June 5, 2015
3. "One-way Mirror"
Released: June 12, 2015
4. "Silhouettes"
Released: July 10, 2015
5. "Celestial"
Released: July 17, 2015

***Silhouettes*** is the second studio album by Australian singer, songwriter, rapper, and producer Aurora. It was released on July 24, 2015, through Red Rose Records. *Silhouettes* is a pop record, occasionally leaning into folk, country, and alternative genres among others, while lyrically exploring themes of revitalisation, self-reflection, attraction, rejection, and acceptance. It was primarily independently written and produced by Aurora.

## Background and development

Following the commercial success of *Platinum Heart*, Aurora quickly returned to the studio in 2015 to begin work on her second studio album. Achieving her success primarily in the pop genre, Aurora wanted to showcase her versatility with the sophomore set, while also satisfying Red Rose Records' requests for more commercial pop hits.

Sessions for the album began in April 2015, just three months after the release of *Platinum Heart*, and recording was completed in July 2015, two weeks prior to the album's release. Aurora revealed how she finds creativity and focus during her fast-paced schedule in an interview with *Spinning Rock*: "I'm always creating, always. The months between [*Platinum Heart* and *Silhouettes]* honestly felt like a long time to me." She continued, "If I haven't finished one song in a week, I've probably finished two or three," she laughs, "It scares me to be still. It's terrifying, yeah."

Red Rose Records also permitted Aurora's songwriting and production talents be utilised by other artists, working on material with Italian-American actress and pop singer Cat Venti, as well as Spanish recording artist dwuw.

Following the underperformance of *Heartstorm* and "Celestial", *Silhouettes* was released two weeks prior to its planned release date of August 7, 2015.

## Singles and promotion

"My Paradise" was released as the lead single from *Silhouettes* on May 22, 2015, following three other teaser or promotional tracks. It was praised for its dream pop sound, introspective lyricism, and catchy hook. It debuted at #1 on the Platvia HitList, receiving a rating of 8.52 by Platvian music critics.

"Set Sail" was released as the second single from the album on June 5, 2015. Revered by critics for its storytelling lyricism and usage of metaphors and imagery, it became Aurora's most acclaimed single at the time. It peaked at #1 on the Platvia HitList, and received a 9.24 rating by Platvian music critics.

"One-way Mirror" was released as the album's third single on June 12, 2015. While not as acclaimed nor successful as its precursors, it was well-received by critics, who praised its relatable themes and songwriting. It received a 7.64 rating by Platvian music critics, and charted at #4 on the Platvia HitList.

Title track "Silhouettes" was released as the fourth single from the album on July 10, 2015. Impressed that Aurora completed the track "in a day", critics praised its use of imagery and mature perspective. Receiving a rating of 8.575 by Platvian music critics, it debuted at #2 on the Platvia HitList.

"Celestial" was released as the album's fifth and final single on July 17, 2015. At first marketed as the lead single for the album's pre-release EP *Heartstorm*, it was met with mixed-to-negative reviews by critics, who considered it a regression from the more mature themes of singles prior, and criticised its usage of clichéd language and staggered delivery. It received a 6.9 rating by Platvian music critics, debuting at #4 on the dance club component chart.

### **Promotional singles**

"Flowers" was released as the first promotional single from the album on May 15, 2015. It peaked at #7, receiving a rating of 7.74.

"More Than This" was released as the album's second promotional single on June 26, 2015. It peaked at #7, receiving a rating of 6.12.

"A Devil Always Wins" was released as the third and final promotional single on July 3, 2015. It peaked at #5, receiving a rating of 7.5.

### **Other charted songs**

"Little Birds" was released in an incomplete form as a teaser track to generate hype for the era on May 1, 2015, with Platvian music critics awarding it a preliminary 8.9 rating. A second incomplete teaser track, "Happy", followed on May 8, 2015, receiving a favourable rating of 8.14 by Platvian music critics. The tracks debuted at #1 and #3 on the Platvia HitList charts dated May 12, 2015 and May 19, 2015 respectively, superseding even Red Rose Records' expectations. Due to this unexpected success, the tracks were kept in their incomplete forms, and utilised as an album intro and interlude respectively. "Red Thread" was initially released as part of the *Heartstorm* EP on July 17, 2015. It peaked at #4 on the rock component chart, receiving a rating of 8.125.

## Aurora chronology

### ***Silhouettes: Deluxe***

Following her split from Red Rose Records in 2020, Aurora announced the launch of her own independent label Aurora Records in 2021, and that she would be re-recording and reissuing all of her past studio albums, with each reissued album featuring bonus tracks left off their standard track list.

*Silhouettes: Deluxe* was released on May 22, 2021. Among the deluxe edition bonus tracks are solo versions of tracks "Frightening Nights and Lightning Strikes" and "Top Level", the former of which was initially written and performed as a duet with Spanish recording artist dwuw, while the latter was originally pitched to hip hop artists Kanye West and Nicki Minaj, before ultimately ending up with "Easy" hitmakers Round2. An acoustic version of "Forever in a Moment", a song written for Italian-American actress and pop singer Cat Venti, is the album closer.

## Critical reception

*Silhouettes* received predominantly favourable reviews from Platvian music critics, naming "Set Sail" a career highlight. Its intro and title tracks were considered album highlights, while critics questioned the inclusion of tracks "Celestial" and "More Than This". The album received a combined Platacritic Platascore of 80/100.

## Commercial performance

*Silhouettes* debuted at #1 on the Platvian Albums Chart dated August 4, 2015, where it remained at the top for a total of four weeks. The album has spent a combined total of 111 weeks on the chart.

It was ranked at #4 on the Platvian Year End Albums Chart for 2015.

## Track listing

All tracks are written and produced by Aurora Renée Jaymesson, except where noted.

* Standard edition
* Deluxe edition

**Standard edition**

**Deluxe edition**

### **Notes**

* "Frightening Nights and Lightning Strikes" (Solo) was co-written with dwuw.
* "Top Level" (Solo) was co-written with Round2.

## Packaging

Front of jewel case packaging for Aurora's album *Silhouettes: Deluxe* (2021).Back of jewel case packaging for Aurora's album *Silhouettes: Deluxe* (2021).