Explosions in the Sky must’ve caught wind of the disturbing possibility of Donald Trump actually becoming president, because it’s a few weeks before the first Republican primary and a few months before the next American presidential election, and the Austin-bred quartet has opted to reappear as a probable forewarning of post-apocalyptic landscape, lest the man with more fur than brain cells gain access to the country’s nuclear codes. EITS’s last album was in 2011, just as the American economy showed signs of reanimating, following impalement by a Wall Street street sign, so they rightfully took it relatively easy once positive vibes got around. Ever inclined to let their music serve as instrumental commentary on national current events, here they are, doom and glooming it up for us once more!
The Wilderness comes out March 21 on all relevant formats (minus cassette, I guess, but including a limited-edition colored vinyl), and according to label Temporary Residence Ltd.’s words on the subject, the album is all about space, in every sense of the word. The aim was to “illuminate all the colors of the dark,” which I’m sure will come as welcome news to adults with PTSD from their childhood lack of nightlight. That doesn’t include me.
A comparison of significance is also made between The Wilderness and EITS’s post-rock pinnacle The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place. Get a sense for the accuracy of that by listening to the following track:
The Wilderness tracklisting:
01. Wilderness
02. The Ecstatics
03. Tangle Formations
04. Logic of a Dream
05. Disintegration Anxiety
06. Losing the Light
07. Infinite Orbit
08. Colors in Space
09. Landing Cliffs
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