Morgan Schmitz June 3rd, 2024 - 12:16 PM
photo credit: Owen Ela
It is amazing to think AWOLNATION (Aaron Bruno) has been on the scene making music for over fourteen years. Their latest track, “Jump Sit Stand March” is a signal to audiences that a new album titled, The Phantom Five is scheduled for a late-summer release. “Jump Sit Stand March” features Emily Armstrong the singer for Dead Sara.
The track opens acapella with the words, “jump sit stand march” on repeat. Then a chill backbeat partnered with intense vocals come in with a sound reminiscent of 21 pilots. There’s hooks galore, and guitars of intrigue. The vocals never lose intensity, and add an edge to the expansions and contractions of the beat. The video is set in a diner with a bright color scheme that kind of contrasts the minor-key darkness of the tune.
“The song is about overstimulation and being frustrated with having to please everybody’s virtues all at the same time. There’s a lot of pressure to think a certain way. It’s the opposite of a protest song; it’s actually pointing out that just because everybody’s telling you need to do something, it doesn’t mean you do. Like C.S. Lewis said, ‘When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.’ I know I’m not alone on that.”
“We’ve played a few shows with Dead Sara over the years and I’ve always been a fan of Emily’s voice,” Bruno said in a press release. “She is a vocal superstar. She ripped it on this track, and it’s really fun to have the male and female vocals together, especially in the chorus where the textures are so nice.”
Armstrong commented, “Aaron and I have known each other since the days of Warped Tour and have worked together before but this is finally the first release together. The making of this song was truthfully all him and when I first heard it, I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of it. I have to say this is a special track and I’m beyond stoked at how it turned out.”
Consequence of Sound has the story here.
Tracklist for The Phantom Five:
- Jump Sit Stand March (ft. Emily Armstrong)
- Party People
- Panoramic View
- I am Happy (ft. Del the Funky Homosapien)
- Barbarian
- Bang Your Head
- City of Nowhere
- A Letter to No One
- When I Was Young
- Outta Here
