Since its formation, Explosions In The Sky has consistently outdone itself. The band’s love for exquisite theatrical composition is heard in their work on films such as Manglehorn and Prince Avalanche. However, the group’s albums are where their artistry shines the brightest. The band’s new single “Ten Billion People” is ushering fans into its latest stage.
The new track is a cinematic start to their forthcoming album, End, their first album in seven years. Despite the lack of spoken lyrics, musicians Chris Hrasky (drummer), Munaf Rayani (guitarist), Michael James (keyboardist), and Mark Smith (keyboardist) create sound as loud as a commercial aircraft’s roaring engine. Across the track’s six-minute-plus run time, the instrumental peaks and valleys paint a vivid picture of evolution — a theme that will be further explored in their project.
In a statement, the band outlined the inspiration behind the project, saying, “Our starting point was the concept of an ending—death, or the end of a friendship or relationship. Every song comes from a story or an idea one of us has had that we’ve all expanded on and made its own world. Maybe it’s our nature, but we kept feeling that the album title was ultimately open to a lot more interpretation—the end of a thing or a time can mean a stop, but it can also mean a beginning, and what happens after one thing ends might pale in comparison to what it becomes next.”
Listen to the full track above.
End is out on 9/15 via Temporary Residence Ltd. Find more information here.