Here Come the Runts
| Here Come the Runts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 February 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Studio | Aaron Bruno's home studio, Malibu, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:43 | |||
| Label | Red Bull | |||
| Producer | Aaron Bruno | |||
| Awolnation chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Here Come the Runts | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Alternative Addiction | [6] |
| Altwire | A+[7] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[8] |
| Belfast Telegraph | 9/10[9] |
| Classic Rock | [10] |
| Express and Star | 9/10[11] |
| Music Connection | 10/10[12] |
| Newsday | [13] |
| The Soundboard Reviews | 6/10[3] |
Here Come the Runts is the third studio album by American rock band Awolnation, released on February 2, 2018, through Red Bull Records.[14] It is their first album to be released since Run was released in 2015. The name of it was inspired from "scenes from Bruno's own home in Malibu, where his wife fosters puppies."[15] Bruno explained the meaning of the album in depth in an interview: "We always are drawn to the runt of the litter in a lot of ways. They have to scrap a little bit more. They're overlooked in many cases, and they shouldn't be. A lot of people who are against all odds and are maybe unnoticed, I think, with all the obstacles end up being stronger and have to find a different way to stand out. That even goes in the music industry as well. It felt like that for me anyways."[15]
The album was preceded by the singles "Passion" and "Handyman". The promotional singles "Seven Sticks of Dynamite" and "Miracle Man" were released on November 6, 2017 and December 15, 2017, respectively. On October 18, 2018, an alternate version of "Table For One" featuring singer Elohim was released.[16] The album has 14 tracks, two of which are interludes.
Background[edit]
Unlike the band's previous two albums, this album has more of an organic, natural sound to it, as described by singer Aaron Bruno. He said, "It's like a non-GMO record... no fake shit."[17] "A lot of records you hear, there's so much tuning of the vocals, it's like listening to a robot," Bruno told Germany's MYP. "On my record, there's none of that, and I'm really proud of that—which is funny to say because it seems like that should be the standard if you're listening to an album. You just should be hearing the guy or girl sing and it should be their voice. But almost all records are tuned. Auto-tuned. And that's fake."[18]
The album was recorded entirely in Bruno's house in Malibu, primarily from his new home studio but also with some drums recorded into his iPhone in his living room before the studio was ready.[19] The band released several teaser videos on their YouTube channel to promote the album before it was officially released. The album generally received positive reviews from critics.
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Aaron Bruno
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here Come the Runts" | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Passion" | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Sound Witness System" (featuring Sickabod Sane) | 2:22 |
| 4. | "Miracle Man" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Handyman" | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Jealous Buffoon" | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Seven Sticks of Dynamite" | 4:06 |
| 8. | "A Little Luck... and a Couple of Dogs" | 0:30 |
| 9. | "Table for One" | 4:39 |
| 10. | "My Molasses" | 3:32 |
| 11. | "Cannonball" | 3:09 |
| 12. | "Tall, Tall Tale" | 2:57 |
| 13. | "The Buffoon" | 1:54 |
| 14. | "Stop That Train" | 6:02 |
| Total length: | 45:43 | |
Personnel[edit]
Awolnation
- Aaron Bruno – vocals, guitar, synthesizer, drums, percussion, production, mixing
- Isaac Carpenter – drums, percussion, guitar
- Zach Irons - guitar
- Daniel Saslow - keyboards
Additional contributors
- Eric Stenman - mixing, engineering
- Vlado Meller - mastering
- Jeremy Lubsey - assistance
- Jon Monroy - slide guitar
- Charley Pollard - horns
- Sickabod Sane - vocals (track 3)
- Marc Walloch - acoustic guitar (5)
- Douglas Gledhill - design, layout
- Simon McLoughlin - design, layout
- Henry Diltz - photography
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] | 44 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21] | 25 |
| New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[22] | 4 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 57 |
| US Billboard 200[24] | 20 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[25] | 2 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[26] | 2 |
References[edit]
- ^ Samudio, Aaron (February 11, 2018). "Awolnation Here Come the Runts". GIG Soup. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
'Here Come the Runts' is a well-produced alternative rock album that should definitely get a spot on your playlist.
- ^ a b "Album Review: Awolnation's "Here Comes the Runts"". February 26, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ a b "Album Review: "Here Comes the Runts" by Awolnation". February 26, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Wacey, Rob. "Awolnation Here Come the Runts". AllMusic. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ "Critic Reviews for Here Come the Runts". Metacritic. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Album Review of Here Come the Runts by Awolnation". Alternative Addiction. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Album Review Awolnation- Here Comes The Runts". Altwire. 4 February 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ "Rhye, Awolnation, The Soft Moon, and other albums to know about this week". The A.V. Club. February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "Albums of the week: From Awolnation to Rae Morris". Belfast Telegraph. February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Aizlewood, John (February 1, 2018). "Awolnation – Here Come The Runts album review". Classic Rock. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Sanders, Leigh (February 7, 2018). "Awolnation, Here Come The Runts – album review". Express and Star. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Kaufmann, Andy (February 2, 2018). "Awolnation – Here Come the Runts (10/10)". Music Connection. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ Gamboa, Glenn (January 31, 2018). "'Here Come the Runts' review: Awolnation's powerful eclectic rock". Newsday. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
- ^ "AWOLNATION's new album "Here Come The Runts" is out Feb 2nd – Red Bull Records". redbullrecords.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "Interview: Aaron Bruno Talks AWOLNATION, 'Here Come the Runts' and More | Out Of The Box | Q104.3". Out Of The Box. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ "AWOLNATION Reimagines "Table For One" With Elohim". The Prelude Press. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ "AWOLNATION: Here Come The Runts – album review". Louder Than War. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ ""I wanted to make an album that felt more like hope than the doom and gloom scenarios you see on TV."". 21 January 2018.
- ^ "AWOLNATION's Aaron Bruno on their latest record, recorded in a studio built from scratch". AWOLNATION's Aaron Bruno on their latest record, recorded in a studio built from scratch | Editorial | Bandwagon - Live music, bands and concert guide for Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Awolnation – Here Come the Runts" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Awolnation Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 12, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Awolnation – Here Come the Runts". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ "Awolnation Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "Awolnation Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "Awolnation Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
