This Is Exploding really does sound like it’s about to explode. Now three years old, the Cleveland quartet is a rare example of an indie rock band that has a string of obvious influences, but ultimately transcends them all.
And so while this bunch may borrow a page from Fugazi, with singer-guitarist Joshua Jesty warbling like mid-period Ian MacKaye, they still come with their own distinct sound. Throughout Until the Next Red Light, This Is Exploding plays like the bandmates had a fight right before the session, and the tension is coming to a head during the songs. Thick with distorted bliss, tracks like “Without a Fight” are gloriously disjointed and hard to tune out. And if you’re seeing them live, we’ll bet they’re impossible to stand still through.
This article appears in Nov 16-22, 2005.