The Ed Sullivan Theater shook with the might of a thousand suns and gargantuan feedback and reverb as Texan instrumental outfit and bane of Ted Cruz‘s campaign manager’s existence, Explosions In The Sky descended onto The Late Show With Stephen Colbert with an epic performance of Disintegration Anxiety, the first single from their new album The Wilderness.
It’s the type of performance that you’d expect from the group – sprawling, haunting and powerful. Making the cramped stage the landscape for their fully formed visions that feel like a cinematic score to a film that can only exist within one’s own mind, it was truly one of the best on late night TV in, well, ever!
Instrumental performances are usually reserved for the house band on late night talk shows, so having Explosions lay down a heavy yet calming piece that builds into a tsunami of a crescendo is a rare and welcome gift- a branching out that Colbert could seek to attempt more often.
According to Rolling Stone, the post-rock outfit have a sizeable tour itinerary planned to support The Wilderness with dates in North America starting May 2nd as well as a couple of international legs throughout Europe. It’s been five years since they toured Australia. I’m sure there’s enough fans of wailing, hypnotic and ambitious musical interplay Down Under to convince them to return to our shores once more.
The Wilderness is out now via Temporary Residence.
Image: Pitchfork