Description
London-based musical duo, lilo consists of Helen Dixon and Christie Gardner. Together, they unveiled their first album, “Blood Ties” in 2025, marking a milestone in their shared musical journey. The album stands out as an expressive exploration of emotional healing, personal narratives, and above-all, the exceptional bond between the two musicians.
Healing via harmonic conversations characterizes “Blood Ties.’ Helen and Christie use soft harmonies and poignant lyrics to paint a picture of their shared experiences during the emotionally tumultuous summer of breakups and unrest they faced. Each song in the album is a depiction of these heartfelt discussions between the two, capturing their struggles, support for each other, and eventual emotional growth and healing. The duo’s dynamic synergy dates back to their secondary school years in Winchester and is significantly reflected in the organic flow of the album’s melodic narration.
During that challenging summer, their music was their lifeline, transforming dire situations into moments of humour and solace. Besides providing catharsis, their shared experience enhanced their creative chemistry. Much like the unique collaborations between Lennon-McCartney or Simon and Garfunkel, the duo navigated each other’s experiences and emotions whilst penning down the lyrics – resulting in a unified journey reflecting Helen and Christie’s shared struggles, hopes, and survival.
The inception of ‘Blood Ties’ came about as a reassurance of support, a means to find closure and peace. The debut album, much like an emotionally charged voyage, begins with the tempestuous ‘Crash the Car’ – a raw outcry of despair and swiftly moves towards the serene acceptance in ‘Always In Time.’ The emotional progress throughout the album is palpable, transitioning from the roiling anger and despair to acceptance and peace.
Interestingly, creating music influenced their friendship dynamics as well. It brought them closer while facilitating discussions about their individual emotional experiences within and outside the recording studio, just like therapy. The creation process of their title track, ‘Blood Ties’ perfectly illustrates this. Dixon composed the track as a response to one of Gardner’s heartfelt narrations from a previous session, demonstrating their symbiotic creative process.
Their musical style has undergone a metamorphosis throughout the years, much like their emotional bond. From creating a chart that correlated their emotions with their musical tones and then assigning their song demos as per the defined structure, their growth from the raw emotional tunes to their distinctive sound is remarkable. However, the common element between their evolving sound remains their harmonious blend – much like the seamless rhythms of Fleetwood Mac or the harmonic genius of Hall & Oates.
Despite a transformation in their sound over time, the primary motivation for setting up lilo remains the same – their unwavering friendship. ‘Blood Ties’ emerged from their bond and testament to their ability to draw reassurance, solace, and sheer enjoyment from creating music together. This sentiment resonates in every track of ‘Blood Ties,’ a beautiful testament to the chemistry between these talented musicians, Helen Dixon and Christie Gardner, and their debut album, indeed, serves as an embodiment of their shared musical journey.
