It’s loud. It’s fast, it’s Awolnation’s latest third studio album, ‘Here Come The Runts’ exploding out of your speakers. Out today, it’s an absolute whirl of electronica and rock guitars in fourteen tracks.
Opening ferociously with the title track it doesn’t let off. At all. It’s a fun album with lyrics which give the listener the impression the band doesn’t take themselves very seriously. But at the same time there’s a certain earnestness reminding us of LCD Soundsystem – on other hand, they strike us as not taking themselves too seriously either.
‘Here Come The Runts’ follows their platinum certified debut album, ‘Megalithic Symphony’, and their 2015 release, ‘Run’. ‘Megalithic Symphony’ featured the hit single ‘Sail’. The song sold over six million copies and became the second longest-charting song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
Three videos have so far been spawned by the album; the highly entertaining ‘Seven Sticks Of Dynamite’, featuring cameos by (legendary tattoo artist) Dr Woo, Rick Rubin, and Duff McKagan.
The clip was inspired by the campy bar brawls so typical of old western movies, and centres around duelling biker and surfer gangs.
The other two videos, ‘Passion’, and ‘Handyman’, demonstrate the versatility of the band’s sound.
Aaron Bruno returns to the helm, producing, writing, and recording the album, for which he moved to a remote part of Malibu far away from everyone. His success has meant he was for the first time able to lay down roots and buy a home and create a studio. The new album is a real reflection of that sense of place, and is full of Californian optimism, played on organic instruments rather than being electronic. ‘Here Come The Runts’ is inspired by the 80s classic pop and rock of Bruno’s teens: Dire Straits, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, and The Cars – as much as it is inspired by modern rock.
“The record definitely has a feel to it that seems parallel to the vibe of this mountain and the land,” Bruno notes. “It’s like a non-GMO record. There’s no fake shit on there, none of the vocals are tuned. It’s all real playing.”
Awolnation will set out on tour across North America in February, and Europe from the beginning of April. Tickets are available here. You can pre-order ‘Here Come The Runts’ here.
AWOLNATION European Tour:
06/4 Paris France @ Les Etoiles
07/4 Frankfurt Germany @ Gibson
09/4 Zurich Switzerland @ Dynamo
10/4 Lausanne Switzerland @ Les Docks
11/4 Milan Italy @ Santeria Social Club
12/4 Munich Germany @ Backstage Werk
14/4 Vienna Austria @ WUK
15/4 Prague Czech Republic @ Roxy
16/4 Warsaw Poland @ Proxima
18/4 Berlin Germany @ Kesselhaus
19/4 Hamburg Germany @ Uebel & Gefahrlich
20/4 Amsterdam Netherlands @ Melkweg
21/4 London UK @ Scala
25/4 Dublin Ireland @ Academy
Find Awolnation online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and their official website.
