Explosions In The Sky - Disintegration Anxiety

Taking Texan post-rock stalwarts Explosions in the Sky on the merits of a single track is not just difficult; it’s nigh on impossible. Such is the band’s propensity for the progressive, each cut works best when viewed within the context of their respective albums. Given that it’s been five years since the band released any non-soundtrack material however, we’re just pleased to see them make a return - and what a track to return with. At a little over four minutes, ‘Disintegration Anxiety’ falls at the shorter end of the band’s spectrum, yet packs no less of a punch. Beginning with a distorted, almost vaudevillian organ that falls away, replaced by low end rumbles and audible string slides, it takes just over a minute before the band’s trademark rhythmic propulsion kicks in. When it does however, it’s as if they’ve never been away. Frenetic and packed with understated ambition, the track’s change in time signatures is a post-rock staple, but one that’s pulled off here with such conviction and confidence that it’s barely even noticeable, with such subtleties making Explosions in the Sky the band they are. And though ‘Disintegration Anxiety’ might be a little more straightforward than previous offerings, its apparent simplicity belying much of the underpinning nuance, it’s worth remembering that it’s a single track taken out of context, and when forthcoming album ‘The Wilderness’ drops on April 1st all the complexity and melody that we’ve come to associate with Explosions in the Sky will surely come flooding back.