California-born alternative rock band AWOLNATION is headed your way! The band’s 2011 chart-topping, certified platinum hit “Sail” took over the radio and put the name AWOLNATION on everyone’s radar, but in their debut album they were just getting started. The band’s sophomore album, Run, hit number four on Billboard’s Top Rock Album chart. The band’s third full-length, Here Come the Runts, hit number two on the same chart upon its release earlier this month!
AWOLNATION. Photo by Henry Diltz.
The Set List had the chance to email lead singer Aaron Bruno ahead of their DC show to chat about the band’s new album and their transition from mostly electronica to the wide variety of influences that come through in the new music.
AWOLNATION is much more than anyone’s idea of a “one-hit wonder” might be. The “wild trip,” as Bruno called it, of getting to create a song out of thin air and put it out into the world through recording and concerts fuels Bruno and only increases his passion for music.
With the release of the first two singles, “Passion” and “Seven Sticks of Dynamite,” it’s become clear that the band’s new album, Here Come The Runts, would deliver a sound different than that of the previous two releases.
According to Bruno, the transition away from a more electronic-based sound came about organically in the most focused record the band has created to date. He mentions that he took inspiration from honest, soulful music. The openness Bruno felt during the writing and recording process is evident in the music– a sound that defies labels.
Every song is completely different, but the compendium works together to create a cohesive, accessible record. The mix of bright, pop-laden melodies of “Miracle Man,” the calming nostalgia that fills your ears during “Handyman,” and the grittier sound found in the title track makes for an album that you will want to move to all night long.
Nothing But Thieves, the English alt-rock band taking stateside airwaves by storm with their new album, Broken Machine, will be opening the show. If you picked up tickets to see AWOLNATION on February 24 at the Fillmore Silver Spring, you’re in for a great show!