EIS's token Europeans hit all the volume levels on a pleasingly psychedelic guitar album Disco Doom are somewhat of an outlier on the Exploding In Sound roster. For one thing, they're not from the Northeast but from Switzerland. And for another, Disco Doom are a...
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Sam Roberts Band ÛÒ Lo-Fantasy (Planetary)
Exhaustingly optimistic Hailing out of Montreal, the Sam Roberts Band experimented with self-discovery and used it as the anchor for their most recent LP. There are catchy riffs exuding out of guitars that will be hypnotic to many listeners. It isn't anything too out...
The Casket Girls – True Love Kills the Fairytale (Graveface)
Storytelling, synths and supernatural Just one year ago I found myself up against the stage of a dark Austin, TX bar as two mysterious women opened their mouths to let something inside them escape. What I heard haunted me as hypnotic drumming and static drones...
PYPY- Pagan Day (Slovenly)
Well done psych-punk debut. On their debut album, Montreal-based band PYPY (like the Greek letter you'd recognize from math class) marry psychedelic rock and classic punk. With elements ranging from shredding 60s-style guitar solos to hard, fast, repetitive 70s punk...
Woodsman – Woodsman (Mexican Summer & Lefse)
Guitar heavy instrumental. Indie and ambient sound. Woodsman is an instrumental band that uses guitars and percussions to create a sound that gives an rhythmic outdoor feeling. Songs like “Obsidian” are much more mellow and have sonic flares throughout the...
Temples – Sun Structures (Heavenly)
Submit thyself before the alter of psych! On the eighth day of the British Invasion, God created the mellotron, and banished the verse-chorus-verse song structure to hell! Since then, tens of thousands of teenagers and twenty-somethings have brushed the strands of...
Chalk and Numbers ÛÒ Parade EP (Never Better)
Whimsical and exuberantly poppy. The first track of this EP may take you by surprise, the title “Pretty Colors” is definitely appropriate because that is in fact what the lyrical content is all about; there is actually a part of the song where Sable Young lists...
Solids ÛÒ Blame Confusion (Fat Possum)
Reverbed guitar goodness This duo rising out of Montreal could eventually create as much hype as our beloved Japandroids, but they have quite a ways to go. Xavier Germain-Poitras' reverbed and distorted guitar playing pounds away constantly in all ten songs. Although...
US Royalty – Blue Sunshine (Self-Released)
Rootsy and smart modern rock Dynamic rock band US Royalty, from right here in Washington, D.C., has put out a reflective, rootsy sophomore album. The band expertly combines occasional reverb, soulful guitar riffs, deep basslines, and punchy percussion to make for an...
Bear Hands – Distraction (Cantora)
Edgy, creative indie-pop. Bear Hands' newest album has all the best qualities of indie pop. The album opener, “Moment of Silence” builds into an upbeat, passionate dance-y track with positive lyrics. Then, the band launches into several edgy tracks with a focus on...









