Awolnation, the genre-defying alt-rock project led by Aaron Bruno, has released a live performance video for the song ‘Barbarian,’ now making its rounds at Alternative Radio. The song is taken from the critically acclaimed latest album, ‘The Phantom Five,’ released last summer.
A single bundle released on January 31st features both a newly recorded acoustic version of the track, alongside the original version, allowing fans to experience the song in an entirely new light. “I’ve always loved the idea of reinterpreting songs and exploring them in different ways,” says Aaron Bruno. “The acoustic version of ‘Barbarian’ brings a different kind of vulnerability to the forefront, and I’m really excited for fans to hear this new rendition alongside the original. It’s a unique way to experience the song from two very different angles.”
‘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.
The album’s lead single ‘Panoramic View’ topped #5 at Alternative Radio and was the #21 most played song at the format in 2024, with its official music video reaching over a million views and the single reaching over 21 million streams on digital platforms.
“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.”