Who are they? Dan Goldin and Dave Spak run the label. We like them.

What acts have they got? – A better question might be who don’t they have! Deep breath. Pile, Grass Is Green, Two Inch Astronaut, Geronimo!, Ovlov, Fat History Month, Porches., Kal Marks, Palehound, Disco Doom, Pony Bones, Krill, Mattress Financial, Fond Han, Lost Boy ?, Baked, LVL UP, Bad History Month, Dust From 1000 Yrs, Dirty Dishes, Washer, Big Ups, My Dad, and Speedy Ortiz have all released music via Exploding in Sound.

What’s their deal? Goldin and Spak set up the label in 2011 while students at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. Goldin had been working at Island Def Jam Music Group, but was rather dissatisfied by working with bands that he did not particularly enjoy himself. He set up a blog to build an audience for the label, and subsequently created the label with Spak to showcase local acts they had been going to see live.

That same year, Goldin moved to New York, which led to the signing of Pile, and Spak move to Scranton, PA. Since then they’ve just gone from strength to strength. In 2015, the label curated a five day long, six show celebration in Boston and New York. Currently, their roster contains over 35 bands. Most of which are the cat’s pyjamas.

Why do we love them? Practically every release from the label is a visceral, emotional, and aggressive blast of post-hardcore, alternative/indie rock. When we get an email from Dan with a new release from the Exploding in Sound roster, we do not bother to read it. We just listen and, invariably, love it. Exploding in Sound is currently one of the most reliable labels out there. Their taste is impeccable.

What have they got to say for themselves? “We’re not aiming to have one sound, but we love bands with dynamics, music that is as intelligent as it is loud, and records that keep you guessing as to what will come next. Our sound is built on albums that unfold with repeat listens, expanding what the listener is hearing from the first time to the 100th listen. Sure, there are lots of heavy guitars and an underlying presence of early ’90s indie influence, but there is far more to it than that. The records we’ve released are centered in great songwriting, amazing musicianship, and the ability to blur the lines between post-punk, indie rock, post-hardcore, noise, grunge, art rock, psych, folk, and shoegaze into something new and exciting, ” Dan Goldin told The Bomber Jacket in 2013.

“We do as much as we can to remain D.I.Y. but honestly it’s nearly impossible to be truly and utterly D.I.Y. these days. We send out our records to a printing press and we work collaboratively with a P.R. company, but our ideals come from the D.I.Y. method of thinking. EIS is hands on in all aspects of how we are presented and distributed. There is nothing fancy going on here, we’re entirely an “artist first” label with very little interjection on anything related to the creative process. Our bands are all self sufficient in booking tours, creating artwork, and planning for every aspect of the recording process. We’re there to help when needed and we couldn’t be happier with the way things have gone so far and all that is to come.”

“We’re going to keep working hard for our bands and hopefully keep releasing new music that people will dig. I don’t really set specific goals for the growth of the label, my focus is on the bands involved and getting them to where they want to be as much I possibly can. We’d love to become one of those trustworthy and beloved indie labels, but all I can really ask is that people check out our releases and support the bands making the music. Trends change, the industry changes, but we’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing, and we look forward to picking up a few new fans a long the way…oh yeah, and to stop other labels from stealing our bands. Hah, just kidding…”

What’s their next release? Tall Friend – Tawl Friend EP, out 27th January 2017

Find Exploding in Sound Records on Facebook and head to their store.

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