HAELOS – Full Circle
Now armed with a large catalogue of music for a relatively new band, HAELOS have a string of tour dates planned over the coming months including slots at major music festivals.
Full Circle’s short opening track, ‘Intro/Spectrum’, is an announcement of sorts, with a male conductor-like voice (similar to many tracks from Public Service Broadcasting) delivering a message on the ‘spectrum of love’.
Elements of this radio broadcast type announcement is speckled throughout the album. The intro track eases nicely into ‘Pray’ which has a catchy dance beat and fades out with the same conductor-like voice as its predecessor. This is followed by their self-released debut single ‘Dust’. Keyboards, drums, synths and echoed harmonies feature strongly on both tracks.
HAELOS’ eerie sound and male/female harmonies from the trio are best showcased on the title track, which offers a mix of calming synth sounds and slight dance beats. Similarly, ‘Oracle’, which has a slightly heavier beat, conveys a stronger vocal from Benardout, with a very similar sound to Tracey Thorn.
Full Circle is atmospheric and uplifting. Haunting vocals, synth-pop sounds and mellow electronic beats create a feeling of calmness and tranquillity, particularly in the second half of the album. For a debut album it provides a good insight into the band’s influences. Tracks like ‘Earth Not Above’ have a clear Jungle influence, while more mellow tracks, like ‘Alone’ and ‘Pale’, are reminiscent of The XX and Massive Attack. Overall, it’s a good go-to album for creating a chilled-out atmosphere.
