New listeners of The Exploding Boy’s music may well find their music spiritually charged. Their album, Four is due out by Artoffact Records on November 5th, and their music is influenced by bands like Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division and Bauhaus. When listening to the tracks from this newest album, perhaps there is more influence from The Cure than any other. Their sound is infectious. The rhythms are hypnotic–with a light tinge of the goth aesthetic–and it can easily be played for hours at a café, perhaps even to invite in visitors inquiring as to who this group is.
Johan Sjöblom (vocals, acoustic guitar), Lars “Les” Andersson (lead guitar), Stefan Axell (vocals, electric guitar), Nick Isgren (keyboards) on form this melodic team. As The Exploding Boy, they have been at the big European festivals like Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Blackfield, Nordstern, and Summer Darkness. Their first North American show took place at last year’s News Years’s Eve celebrations at Time Square, and they may well take America by storm if this album is any indication.
And their recognition is due to hit the charts in more ways than one. Four is a very accessible album. The tracks are edgy, melodic and varied. The blend of hard edged guitar with synth-pop is familiar. The sound is tailored to achieve mainstream success and this band is well on its way to achieving that kind of recognition. The single “Dark City (Part 2.)” is produced by Johan Edlund (Tiamat) and its music video is a shining example of a cleverly suggestive narrative. The contrasts are certainly well laid out. When the video is shot to feature decrepit warehouses, a femme fatale, a city of neon lights and a red rose, there is a metaphor being made than fans will have to figure out.
Lyrically, the fun tracks to listen to are “Street Cliché,” “Going to Hell” and “Runaways.” A persuasive theme may well be part of what this album is about.
And listeners can decipher this band’s messages when Four releases in a few weeks.
