originally published: 09/01/2024
(LOS ANGELES, CA) -- AWOLNATION has released his full length album, The Phantom Five. Composed of ten tracks, Aaron Bruno aka AWOLNATION says he "wrote this album with the intention that it could possibly be the final AWOLNATION album". It includes the previously released singles and music videos for "Panoramic View", "Jump Sit Stand March" feat. Emily Armstrong and "I Am Happy" feat. Del The Funky Homosapien.
“I’ve always wanted to make something like Chris Isaak’s 'Wicked Game',” says Aaron Bruno on the video. “This video is nothing like that, because nothing could be like that beautiful video – but we had fun finding and shooting it at the same location with a sarcastic twist on the concept.”
On the song, he explains "I read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka before I wrote this record, and I love the concept of me transforming from this AWOLNATION project into new projects like my new Barbarians of California hardcore metal thrash project. That’s the conflict of the song, and it was inspired by a guy changing into a bug."
The Phantom Five is a collection of ten songs that highlights every different impulse and urge Bruno has learned to master with AWOLNATION in a cohesive, anthemic pastiche of modern music. It functions almost as a “greatest hits” album, in the sense that it offers something for everyone who has followed the band’s arc in its celebrated, shape-shifting way. The Phantom Five is concerned with trying to find one’s way to happiness in a bizarrely upside-down time.
“I wrote this album with the intention that it could possibly be the final AWOLNATION album,” continues Bruno. “I wanted the challenge and inspiration of that idea. I’m not sure if it will actually be the last album, but I wanted to create that narrative to push myself with it and put everything I have into these songs.”
“Panoramic View”, the lead single from The Phantom Five has amassed over 1 million views on YouTube and over 11 million streams. The single recently hit #8 at alternative radio and was added to rotation on KROQ – the legendary Los Angeles Rock Radio station. An acoustic version of the song was recently released and be heard here.
"Bang Your Head" is featured in the new trailer for season three of The Legend of Vox Machina, the hit adult animated fantasy-adventure series on Prime Video.
AWOLNATION has been on the road with 311 and NEON TREES on the “Unity Tour”. Dates across the nation kicked off July 20 with the final date taking place tomorrow, in Redmond, WA. An AWOLNATON headline tour announcement will be coming soon.
The Phantom Five is available to stream in full at this link.
Track Listing
1. Jump Sit Stand March (Feat. Emily Armstrong)
2. Party People
3. Panoramic View
4. I Am Happy (Feat. Del the Funky Homosapien)
5. Barbarian
6. Bang Your Head
7. City of Nowhere
8. A Letter To No One
9. When I Was Young
10. Outta Here
COLUMNS
Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...10/23/25
"My Mississippi Roots," I'm going deep on that one," said bassist James "JB" Barnes as he discussed the recently released album of the same name. "I had to reach back to my family history on my father's side. My dad was from Port Gibson, Mississippi, was born in 1928 and he's not with us anymore but he is my lineage. The Barnes family name comes from that part of Mississippi, Claiborne County and that's where my dad is from; there's a lot of tradition down there in Mississippi; look at the blues musicians who came out of there (Mississippi). Muddy Waters, B.B. King, there is a lot of history down there, good, bad and ugly."
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