Reviews / Quotes

Release date: February 1st
Record label: Snmyhymns
Genre: Midwest emo, post-rock, slowcore, 90s indie rock
Formats: Vinyl, digital
Pull Track: What Is Tough to See

…or Does It Explode? is an emo band hailing from Madison, Wisconsin that have been around since the beginning of the decade, more or less. The quintet (made up of guitarist/vocalist Shawn Bass, guitarist Brandon Boggess, bassist J Granberg, drummer Erik Rasmuson, and vocalist Katya Pierce) put out two albums in 2022 and 2023 that mixed Dischord Records-influenced post-hardcore with more cavernous and exploratory Midwest emo sounds. Even in their more “punk” earlier work, this more intimate side of …or Does It Explode? is discernible among the noise, and it’s this aspect of their sound that they’ve chosen to explore much more fully on their third album, Tales to Needed Outcomes. Interestingly, Bass initially conceived this record as a solo side project, but the rest of the band were fully on board with taking their sound into this direction, and not only do they all play on Tales to Needed Outcomes (recorded by Nick Tveitbakk at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota), but …or Does It Explode? also bring in a host of guest musicians (Rin Ribble on violin, Logan Lamers on cello, Becky Lipsitz on trumpet, and Amy Wiegand on flute) to fully flesh this record out.

Spanning a dozen tracks in about fifty minutes, Tales to Needed Outcomes is an ambitious record that seems dead-set on getting the most out of the circumstances of its creation–a stable of talented musicians and a week at a world-famous recording studio. It’s a lot to take in, but it’s all very well-thought-out and just-as-well-executed, so take your time if you find …or Does It Explode? challenging your attention span at first. Tales to Needed Outcomes is operating in the world of horn/string-laden Midwest emo, orchestral slowcore and post-rock, and good old-fashioned 90s basement indie rock–it has the core of the bedroom project it began as, but it benefits greatly from the full punk-trained band backing it up at all times. It’s hard for me to single out specific tracks on Tales to Needed Outcomes because it’s such a cohesive experience–the post-hardcore backing vocals on “Cyclic Living” stick out like a sore thumb, but that’s in large part because the rest of the song is entirely in line with the rest of the record. When …or Does It Explode? “rock” on Tales to Needed Outcomes, it’s generally in a dramatic, slowcore-influenced indie rock kind of way that reminds me of 90s bands like American Music Club and Idaho (as well as more recent acts in this vein like 40 Watt Sun). There aren’t a ton of current groups making music like this, but maybe by mixing it with more traditional horns-and-guitar-noodling Midwest emo, …or Does It Explode? have found a way to get it to the masses. Maybe not, but it works for Rosy Overdrive. (Bandcamp link)

https://rosyoverdrive.com/2025/02/18/pressing-concerns-patches-or-does-it-explode-future-living-hour/

…or Does it Explode [...] celebrate[s] the release of Chrysalis, a heady post-punk album that took shape as the project morphed out of another Madison band, Our Friends The Savages, repurposing some of the earlier band’s songs and writing new music. It feels like something that’s been simmering for a while, bringing a swirl of lofty ideas into sharp focus. Standout tracks like “Cleveland Harbor Effect” patiently build atmosphere until it’s time for a lean, furious crescendo. Guitarist/vocalist Shawn Bass, guitarist Brandon Boggess, drummer Erik Rasmuson, and bassist J Granberg make the fundamentals sound big and multifarious—all through well-honed dynamic shifts, not just quiet to loud but compression and release. That no-frills approach bodes well for the live set. —Scott Gordon, Tone Madison

[ self-produced | post-hardcore, post-rock, noise rock, math ]
At first listen it could easily be a Dischord classic, from Fugazi to Hoover, but this is 2023 and there's a lot of meat, from the bizarre finishes of Polvo, to American shoegaze, from Nineties emo to June of 44. Unknown it's better (cit.). -https://www.rockambula.com/ 

… "Dream Deferred," the sprawling, seven-and-a-half minute opener of …Or Does It Explode?'s new full-length Chrysalis,  makes it abundantly clear the band's not shying away from ambition.  Invoking the unease produced by inequity via a sound collage of speeches  laid over a bed of post-rock is a bold move but, here, it works. What  follows are nine more tracks proudly bearing the marks of an array of  influences: Shellac, American Football, Sunny Day Real Estate, The  Wrens, La Dispute, Cap'n Jazz, and Slint among them.
 

Chrysalis, by virtue of both those influences and its overall scope, is a  statement record. Consistently engaging throughout a runtime that  brushes up against an hour, Chrysalis is hard proof that …Or Does It Explode? mean business. While Chrysalis includes all three of the tracks ("Dream Deferred," "Killswitch," "The  Chrysalis And The Swan") from the band's 2021 demo, the record lays some  enticing groundwork for what might come next. . — Steven Spoerl, Tone Madison

 …Or Does It Explode? go big with conceptual and sonic reaches on their debut album, Chrysalis. “Shattered Princess,” on the other hand, shows us what the post-hardcore band can do when it pares back, bringing welcome balance to an ambitious record. Delicate, clean-toned guitars, vocals full of weary compassion, and the concise punch of the chorus give this song just as much impact as the band’s lengthier and more grandiose statements. —Scott Gordon