On the 2018 song “Cannonball,” AWOLNATION mastermind Aaron Bruno sang, “I wear my heart on my sleeve ‘cause it's all that I know.” The same could be said for his multifaceted forays into music – he follows his heart not a plan. After he broke through with the improbable, worldwide hit “Sail” in 2011 – which has since been certified diamond for sales of 10 million units – Bruno could have made carbon copies to keep on rolling. But he didn’t. Even when he got branded early with the term “electro-rock,” he continued to create a diverse umbrella of sounds to explore under that tag and released singles that both topped the modern rock radio chart and received recognition among fellow artists and his musical heroes.
While there was a clear dance/electronic and indie rock synergy on the platinum album Megalithic Symphony (2011) and its follow-up Run (2015), classic rock sounds became more prevalent on Here Come The Runts (2018) and Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders (2020). And the recent retro collection My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers, and Me made you think that Bruno was born to sing tunes like Michael Sembello’s “Maniac” and the Alan Parson Project’s “Eye In the Sky”. The 2022 covers album featured a wide array of musical guests whom Bruno invited to join him on the project, including Beck, Jewel, Portugal. The Man, Brandon Boyd and many others. Within his approach to songwriting and recording, authenticity is a keyword, and lyrically there is always his passion for sincerity and penchant for irony.
He’s an old school soul cloaked in modern vibes.
