Insomniatic

Insomniatic is the third studio album by American pop rock duo Aly & AJ, released on July 10, 2007 by Hollywood Records.

The album features an electronic based sound, differing from their previous pop-rock and acoustic releases, that was accented with the use of synthesizers, sampling, drum programming and vocal processing effects.

The lyrical content of the album is centered heavily around heartbreak, which some critics noted for its contrast to the electronic elements presented.

The first single, "Potential Breakup Song", was released on June 26, 2007 and charted within the top 30 in several countries, including the United States where it peaked at number 17.

[5] The title track is an electro rock number that consists of instrumentation from "striking" drums and "quick" guitar riffs.

The six-song extended CD includes acoustic performances at the Abbey Road Studios in the UK and a remix, along with a bonus DVD that contains music videos for Aly & AJ's main singles.

[12] Kathi Kamen Goldmark of Common Sense Media gave the album four out of five stars, praising the duo's vocals and the "gentle undertone of self-esteem and standing up for yourself in relationships" as "refreshing".

"[6] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian rated the album an A, praising "the effect of which is to leave the listener suspended between hyped-up delight and despair at the micro-produced perfection of it all" and the songwriting/production team for crafting "lush, assertive little symphonies with massive hooklines that make the most of the sisters' Britneyish breathiness.

The single 'Potential Breakup Song' sounds somewhat like Del Shannon's 'Runaway' run through a processor, but there's a lot more going musically than on your average teen-pop album.

"[22] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Radio stated: "Aly and AJ's previous album was rock-pop; some of it light and bubbly, some of it bordering on heaviness.

Their second offering, 'Insomniatic,' with this as the lead single seems to have kept the staccato and the venom but added more layers of pop, to create something that sounds like My Chemical Romance going through a blender with some soft-hearted Angry Girl Music."