The AWOLNATION Albums Ranked

I thought AWOLNATION was one of those bands that was essentially just one “dude” who brought some people on tour with him. And while I was wrong, frontman Aaron Bruno does appear to be the leading creative energy of the electronic/pop/rock group, writing the majority of songs across their four albums and numerous lineup changes. Bruno was kind of a serial bandleader, from Home Town Hero to Under the Influence of Giants, but he seems to have found his niche with AWOLNATION. “Sail” was a huge hit and sustained the band’s relevance, from movies to TikTok audio, but AWOLNATION has also done some more nuanced, interesting work. This will be an exploration of that work, of the six albums released in the 13 year since 2011, sans the EPs BACK FROM EARTH (2010), RE/SAIL (2012), I’VE BEEN DREAMING (2012), and CANDY POP (2023).

EDIT 5/12/22: Added MY ECHO, MY SHADOW, MY COVERS & ME.

EDIT 9/2/24: Added THE PHANTOM FIVE.

#6 — MY ECHO, MY SHADOW, MY COVERS & ME (2022)

Favorite track: “Drive”

Whenever a band puts together a covers album, the results are often mixed, to be kind. In the case of AWOLNATION, MY ECHO, MY SHADOW, MY COVERS & ME, made up of 11 tracks mostly inspired by ’70s and ’80s hits and synthy sounds, is a tremendous failure. The central question to a covers album is how straight to play it. In the case of Weezer’s TEAL ALBUM (2019), the band basically just recreated the sound of the source material. In the case of Rage Against the Machine’s RENEGADES (2000), the rap rock group was able to mostly successfully transfer songs not of that sound into their style. But MY ECHO hedges its bets, emulating the original song on one track to slowing poppier songs down into sad ballads the next. It actually doesn’t help matters that the record is chock full of guest appearances; just one song doesn’t feature a Beck, or a Jewel, or a member of Hanson. It’s worth identifying the really painfully cheesy versions of a few songs: The Alan Parsons Project’s “Eye in the Sky,” ABBA’s “Take a Chance on Me,” and Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” to name a few. By selecting AWOLNATION’s version of The Cars’ “Drive” as my favorite (it had actually also appeared as a bonus track on preceding album ANGEL MINERS & THE LIGHTNING RIDERS), it’s mostly to note that the band’s interpretation is at its most compelling or least painful. There are other songs (like the bad covers mentioned above) that are, in their original forms, better. But the point just stands that MY ECHO is a shallow and grating little release, obviously and immediately the nadir of AWOLNATION’s career.

#5 — HERE COME THE RUNTS (2018)

Favorite track: “Table for One”

Most bands have a record where they get a little too self-indulgent or heady, for the worse. For AWOLNATION, that record is their third, HERE COME THE RUNTS. It’s certainly not terrible, and is a relatively enjoyable listen. Compared to the rest of AWOLNATION’s output and Bruno’s songwriting, it seems to trade the pop hooks that define the rest of their work for a rambly obtuseness that closes off a real groove. I think this is correlation rather than causation, but HERE COME THE RUNTS is also AWOLNATION’s least electronic album. Perhaps straying from the sound that put them on the map was just a risk that didn’t pan out.

#4 — THE PHANTOM FIVE (2024)

Favorite track: “I Am Happy”

Bruno has said that THE PHANTOM FIVE will be the final AWOLNATION album, which I kind of doubt. A lot of artists say that but time will tell. If it is the last, the project doesn’t go out on the highest note, but also not a totally terrible one. THE PHANTOM FIVE has some grating appeals to pop production and melodies, but there are also some more nuanced sounds that worm a bit into the brain through the wall of mania that makes up most of the record. “I Am Happy” is the best example of this, perhaps because of the Del the Funky Homosapien feature. THE PHANTOM FIVE reveals more with repeat listens, but not enough to rise above it’s most irksome tracks.

#3 — ANGEL MINERS & THE LIGHTNING RIDERS (2020)

Favorite track: “Slam (Angel Miners)”

On the other hand, ANGEL MINERS & THE LIGHTNING RIDERS also gets a little heady and less immediately commercial. However, it still retains a certain pop sensibility that makes it imminently more enjoyable. It’s a great package of off-kilter bops that, while never rising to greatness, impresses with its creativity and “listenability.” That may describe the entirety of AWOLNATION’s discography, though.

#2 — RUN (2015)

Favorite track: “Lie Love Live Love”

This might be a good time to mention that I’m not the biggest AWOLNATION fan, and I don’t know if this listen-through of their work changed that. I’ve peripherally enjoyed their work since “Sail,” and kept up with each of their releases. But from each album, I am able to pick out just a few tracks here and there that appeal to me. For some reason, there seems to a part of the band’s sound I can never fully slip into. But that doesn’t stop me from appreciating them holistically, and RUN could have definitely slipped into the sophomore slump that HERE COME THE RUNTS more accurately embodies. It came after what is still biggest gap between AWOLNATION records at four years. RUN is a bit more intensely “artsy,” but it is a wholly atmospheric work, a full, cohesive experience with songs that never rise to greatness, but together work as a moody piece.

#1 — MEGALITHIC SYMPHONY (2011)

Favorite track: “Wake Up”

And MEGALITHIC SYMPHONY was likely meant to be the same; that is, a full, cohesive experience, except much more upbeat and chaotic. AWOLNATION’s debut, however, is more uneven than RUN. Why it takes the top spot on this list, however, is due to its highs, in spite of its lows. Those lows just leave indifferent impressions, granted, but Bruno’s fully, screaming vocals never sounded as good as they did on MEGALITHIC SYMPHONY. It also features the greatest number of standout, playlist-worthy songs, electric pop rock tracks that ultimately pile up as the best AWOLNATION has done. I’m always interested to see what Bruno and the band do next, but so far, this is the AWOLNATION record I’d put on for a newcomer listener.