Merging the edgier strains of rock and electronic, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Aaron Bruno started
AWOLNATION as a genre-fluid creative outlet that contrasted with the material he'd produced with previous outfits
Home Town Hero and
Under the Influence of Giants. Breaking into the mainstream with the multi-platinum international hit single "Sail," the project issued its debut,
Megalithic Symphony, in 2011. As subsequent efforts pushed them toward the top of the charts,
AWOLNATION soon surpassed all of
Bruno's prior groups, becoming a popular alternative rock presence with efforts such as 2018's U.S. Indie chart-topper
Here Come the Runts and 2020's Alternative Top 20
Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders.
Los Angeles born and raised,
Bruno spent much of the early 2000s finding his way in the industry, trying his hand with the grunge-influenced alternative rock band
Home Town Hero from 2001 to 2004 and then moving briefly to sleek funk-rock with
Under the Influence of Giants, who released one hit album before disbanding in 2008. Deciding he needed a break from the collaborative process,
Bruno hoped to find a place for some of his songs that didn't fit with his other bands. Under the moniker
AWOLNATION (taken from a childhood nickname), he established a creative free-for-all for himself, mixing genres and blending live instrumentation, electronic elements, and slick production into an electro-rock hybrid.
Signing with Red Bull Records in 2009,
Bruno and his band issued
AWOLNATION's first effort, the Back from Earth EP, in 2010. While two other singles were released to promote the short set, "Sail" was the one that took off around the world. The group quickly issued their full-length debut,
Megalithic Symphony, the following year. The album went platinum in the United States and double platinum in Canada, largely on the strength of "Sail," which was certified platinum across the globe. The following year saw the release of the EP I've Been Dreaming, which
AWOLNATION made available as a free download on their website. In January 2015, the band issued the U.S. alternative chart-topper "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)," the first single from their sophomore long-player,
Run, which was released later that spring.
Run was their highest-charting LP to date, rising into the Top 20 on the Billboard 200. That same year,
AWOLNATION landed another hit with a cover of
Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire," which appeared on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack.
In late 2017,
Bruno released the song "Passion." The track was the first single from
AWOLNATION's third studio effort,
Here Come the Runts, which was issued in February 2018. With an intentionally more organic feel to it, the set debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200. The following year, after promoting
Runts with an opening slot on
Twenty One Pilots' Bandito Tour,
Bruno returned to the studio to start writing the group's fourth album. Now signed to Better Music, the first fruits of his work appeared in November with the release of the singles "The Best" and "California Halo Blue." Produced by
Bruno and featuring guest spots from
Alex Ebert (
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros) and
Rivers Cuomo (
Weezer), the full-length
Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders arrived in April 2020, just as much of the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While quarantining,
Bruno quickly set to work on
AWOLNATION's next effort. Released in 2022, the covers and collaborations set was titled My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me and featured his rendition of
ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me," as well as a reimagined version of
Scorpions' "Wind of Change" with
Portugal. the Man and
Incubus frontman
Brandon Boyd. ~ Neil Z. Yeung & Gregory Heaney