The Explosion

The Explosion are a five-piece punk band from Boston with the goal of taking things back to 1977, even though the band wasn't formed until 1998. They're an abrasive dose of good old fashioned punk rock - just what we all need. They got their lucky break when a roadie for Kid Dynamite passed their demo tape on to indie label Jade Tree Records, who immediately signed the band. Since then, they've toured like psychos, had crazy legal troubles, broke up, got back together, started their own record label, (Tarantulas Records), and been signed to a major label. And what have YOU done?

The Explosion [EP] (2000) 8 Thumbs Up

This is The Explosion's debut EP. All the tracks were originally on a demo tape that got them signed. Hey, why change what works? And indeed, it is awesome. One listen and it's like you're in 1977 all over again, and I wasn't even alive then. There's only six tracks, and The Explosion play them so fast and hard that it's over before you even have time to comprehend how hard you have just been rocked. "Out Tonight," a party anthem, is the definate stand-out track, ("100 beers in me, that is the plan!") but "Hero" and "Channels" are also good tracks.

The production is good - not as raw as I'm sure the demo was, but with a cool abrasive "practically recorded live" feel. Of course, this EP is merely a prelude to the full-length they would be releasing the same year, but on it's own, it's solid. Too bad it's so short.

Flash Flash Flash (2000) 9 Thumbs Up

Oh man. Sweet mother of mercy, the day I have been hoping for has finally arrived. My cup runneth over. This is The Explosion's first full-length, and man, am I glad to finally have a band that's still around today that isn't afraid to get out there and rock. No 12 minute synthesizer solos, no "deep" emotional lyrics, no pretty boy screamo vocalist - just chainsaw guitars, songs so fast you get whiplash, and a frontman who isn't afraid to fly into an angry rage, without having a voice that makes your ears bleed. Lately, punk is getting classified so intently. There so many "-punk" or "punk-" genres, that for a while, I worried about the fate of normal punk. But no more. I can no longer say every good straight-up punk band has broken up.

The CD opens with the awesome anthemic track, "No Revolution," before flying straight into 13 other blisteringly chaotic songs railing against authority, America, consumerism, youth apathy, nationalism, and anything else you got. "Tarantulas Attack" and "Novocaine," with it's sweet bassline, are good old fashioned angry rock songs, and "Points West" (best Explosion song ever?) and "The Ideal" are slightly slower looks at why our society sucks. I could mention every single song on the CD as a standout track. There are no real filler songs or lame moments in this entire CD. Oh, The Explosion, what did I ever do without you?

Steal This [EP] (2000) 7 Thumbs Up

"Three releases in one year," you say? Well you see, after the release of Flash Flash Flash, the Explosion were being heralded (and rightfully so) as one of the best punk bands around. But bassist Damian Genuardi had once played in a band called In My Eyes, who were signed to Revelation Records. When Revelation got word of the Explosion's success, they threatened to sue Genuardi if he was credited on any of their CDs, believing their success on indie label Jade Tree should rightfully belong to Revelation. Way to support the indie scene, guys. Anyway, to avoid this whole thing, the Explosion wrote an EP for Revelation but sarcastically titled it Steal This. Stick it to the man!

They wrote the EP in about a week while on tour, so the song lyrics are very simple and sound sort of rushed. It isn't their best work, but hey, under the circumstances I wouldn't be writing anything worthwhile. The only really good track is "Safety Belt," but I bet "E.X.P.L.O.S.I.O.N." sounds really good live. The production is still as good as their other albums, so they didn't do a shoddy job with that. Either way, I wouldn't buy it solely because I wouldn't want to support Revelation. Bastards.

Sick of Modern Art (2003) [EP] 8 Thumbs Up

From what I can gather, The Explosion broke up somewhere in between 2000 and 2003, hence the wide gap in releases. But luckily for punk music, their break-up wasn't fated to last forever. This EP is issued through their own record label, Tarantulas Records, but you might actually be able to find it in stores because major label Virgin Records assists with distribution. That's right, our favourite friends got signed to a major.

Anyway, the Explosion are changing their sound! And it's good, not horrible! For example, on opening track "Sick of Modern Art," vocalist Matt Hock mixes his psychotic screaming with actual singing. The sound of the tracks is changing, as well. "Bullet 15" opens with a semi-acoustic intro, and is much slower than their other songs. The Explosion are experimenting, without becoming pretentious or abandoning punk. This EP makes me really want to hear their next full-length, and if Virgin Records comes through, maybe I'll actually be able to find it in stores.

Back to Reviews Back Home