“Panoramic View,” a brand new single and music video from AWOLNATION is out today. It finds Aaron Bruno at his most vulnerable – written on piano at the very start of the pandemic, it reflects the overwhelming fear and uncertainty the world was facing. Speaking to his own unborn children at the time, the track sends an uplifting message of embracing the scariness while harnessing the inner strength to believe that everything will ultimately be alright. The music video, also out today, was directed by Darren Doane.
Opening up about the heartfelt inspiration behind the track, Bruno shares: “I remember writing this one on a piano almost four years ago. It’s quite a sincere and profound song because I wrote it to my scared little kid that I didn’t even have yet. I have twin boys now, but we weren’t pregnant yet when I wrote it. Basically, I’m saying I’ll protect you, everything’s gonna be okay. Back then, we all felt scared in some way, no matter who you were—whether you were fearful of being sick or of how governments were handling it, or how your friends were handling it, personal decisions… During that time, I was lyrically and emotionally conceptualizing the idea of writing songs to a child. And in some ways I was writing songs to comfort a younger version of myself. I guess the point is to remind us that we can always find an escape through music, even at the worst times.”
Earlier this month, AWOLNATION celebrated the anniversary of their debut album Megalithic Symphony, which dropped 13 years ago as of March 15. “Panoramic View” is the first single to be released from AWOLNATION’s forthcoming album due out this summer.
Aaron Bruno, the de facto leader, songwriter, and creative force behind the Los Angeles-based project AWOLNATION, has spent the better part of two decades steering the band’s ship of pop-friendly electronic and alternative rock to millions of record sales and streams, a handful of chart-topping singles, and countless shows played to adoring fans around the world. From the 2010 debut’s smash “Sail” and the hype of sophomore album Run to 2018’s organic-leaning Here Come the Runts and 2020’s rock-forward Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders, plus a handful of EPs, remixes, and a covers album, Bruno has mined his sonic creativity for an output of music on par with anyone’s from the last two decades. Following the pandemic, Bruno parted ways with his record label in favor of a new self-releasing/distribution partnership, formed a hardcore band called The Barbarians of California, and became a first-time father of twin boys.
