We have a brand new album from Halo Circus, titled “Robots And Wranglers”. Now going as a duo, Allison Iraheta and Matthew Hager have switched up their musical direction, now slotting themselves into electronic-pop rather than their previous rock-pop genre. The first and only single from this album was “Narcissist“.
The first single was certainly a great way to introduce the duo back into the music industry and to showcase their brand new direction and genre to their fans. It is a completely new direction, yet really works with their style.
Both members of this duo have had lengthy careers. Allison Iraheta is most famously known for being on season eight of American Idol where she was a finalist, coming fourth. She went on to release a solo album before forming Halo Circus. As for Matthew Hager, he is a multi-platinum record producer, having worked with the likes of the Backstreet Boys, Mandy Moore, and Duran Duran, amongst others. Now, as a duo, Halo Circus is ready to make waves amongst electronic-pop, and we are totally loving the new sound.
This new album is set to define their future music and we’re excited to follow them down this path as “Robots and Wranglers” becomes a staple LP within their musical history.
Oh, Money!
This is the opening track and leads the listeners into a slow sense of security as we understand how they’ve managed to transition into electronic-pop whilst not slamming it in our faces. In doing so, “Oh, Money!” becomes quite a groovy intricate track, but one that only the chorus remains memorable. It’s a great way to open the album, being able to introduce the audience to the whole album and what we should expect from Halo Circus.
Contact
Leading perfectly off the first track, Allison Iraheta shows off her vocals allowing them to totally work under this newly defined genre that they’ve placed themselves under. The song itself feels like a soundtrack from an old film where aliens meet humans for the first time. Her vocals give us Gwen Stefani vibes when No Doubt were still going. It’s rhythmically repetitive and oh so addicting.
Narcissist
We are totally not surprised that this was chosen as the first official single. It hits the audience from the get-go, launching Halo Circus into this brilliant genre that allows them to experiment. The duo fully nails this track and it completely stands out amongst the songs on the LP. It’s catchy with Allison Iraheta fully nailing the vocals throughout; this is the one that will be iconic when performed on stage.
Got It Made
This track deserves to be the second official single, the vocals are on point throughout totally surprising us, whilst the backing track is rhythmically dance-worthy and full of tantalising beats and sounds. The female vocalist’s voice is clear and crisp and full of emotion – this is exactly what we’ve been waiting for from this album, so far.
Commander
Slowing it down, even more, Halo Circus presents a ballad track with this song. It doesn’t seem to go anywhere itself, but as a whole it’s emotional and every word is meant. It’s not much of a memorable song however it has so much feeling behind it that it’s one of those songs you instantly like upon hearing, but not one you would repeatedly play.
Y Para Que?
We’ve been waiting for Halo Circus to switch this album up a bit and this is exactly what they do with this track. We get an electrifying Spanish track, “Y Para Que?”, which means “And For What?” in English. It’s catchy and addicting. This really suits Halo Circus and should definitely be considered as the next official single. It’s pretty impossible not to like this, especially since Spanish has been very current, as of last year.
Pledge Of Allegiance
This is probably one of the most upbeat songs on the album. It’s fully memorable because Allison Iraheta launches the lyrical words at us. “Pledge Of Allegiance” may not be lyrically amazing but the way it is sung, it’s undeniably groovy. This is definitely one of our favourite tracks from this album; it would totally work as the perfect last official single from the LP if Halo Circus plans on releasing more.
Off The World
What a way to end this whole album. It totally leaves us wanting more, how dare Halo Circus only have eight tracks on this album. This is a perfect closing track as it has rich sounds and gorgeous vocals. It really wraps this whole album up as a whole.
Overall, “Robots and Wranglers”, is an album that defines the new direction this duo has gone in. There are some unforgettable tracks within its collection, and we can’t wait to see the next steps that Halo Circus take. We were lucky enough to chat with vocalist Allison Iraheta, about this album, so look out for that in the coming hours.