Chris Ingalls: Finally, an Explosions in the Sky song that doesn’t make me feel like I’m watching an episode of Friday Night Lights. I kid. The pulsing “blips” that run through the song provide a nice contrast to the usual guitar and piano atmospherics one would expect from these guys. Like most of their stuff, it’s pretty, but it won’t change your life. [6/10]
Pryor Stroud: The soundtrack to a melodramatic but enrapturing scene from a teenage soap opera, Explosions in the Sky’s “The Wilderness” sounds like a walk away from the final fight of a relationship, a fight that leaves both lovers with an absolute, irreversible, soul-mellowing certitude that they made the right decision and said the right thing. In other words, it’s nourishing at some basic, primeval level, but ultimately it’s a minimalist symphony of shuddering piano and brisk electronic soundscaping that leaves more space that substance. [5/10]
Ed Whitelock: This video and song work together as a singular piece. The careful frame and pattern of the developing artwork is echoed in the textural sounds that accompany the process of its creation. Just as the artist’s hand begins to transgress the frames on the canvas, so too does the music begin to come unwound. [7/10]
Chad Miller: Follows a pretty simple repeated motif, but different instrumentation breathe new life into it every time. The simplicity is calming, and there’s still a lot to listen for. [7/10]
SCORE: 6.25
Explosions in the Sky‘s new album The Wilderness releases April 1st via Temporary Residence.
Here’s another video from the new project…