The Wilderness (Explosions in the Sky album)

The Wilderness
Studio album by
Explosions in the Sky
ReleasedApril 1, 2016
GenrePost-rock, electronic rock
Length46:20
LabelTemporary Residence Limited
Producer
Explosions in the Sky chronology
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
(2011) 		The Wilderness
(2016) 		End
(2023)
Singles from The Wilderness
  1. "Disintegration Anxiety"
    Released: January 10, 2016
  2. "Logic of a Dream"
    Released: February 29, 2016

The Wilderness is the seventh studio album by American post-rock band Explosions in the Sky, released on April 1, 2016, through Temporary Residence Limited.[1][2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Consequence of Sound[5]
The Guardian[6]
The Line of Best Fit[7]
Pitchfork8.0/10[8]
Q[9]

The album has received positive reviews from critics, and Metacritic has assigned it an average score of 80/100 based on 26 critics.[3] Dave Simpson for The Guardian called it a "beautifully understated epic" and rewarded the album 4 out of 5 stars.[6] Johnathan K. Dick, writing for Consequence of Sound stated that, "The Wilderness proves that Explosions in the Sky aren't stuck in any creative rut." and gave the album a B+.[5] Paul Simpson for AllMusic said, "On The Wilderness, Explosions in the Sky deconstruct and rebuild their sound from the ground up, giving it a revitalized sense of urgency and resulting in some of their most dynamic work yet."[4] Pitchfork gave the album 8/10 and said it is "their best since The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place."[8]

Mojo, in their May 2016 issue, stated, "Although recognisably, and powerfully, the work of Explosions In The Sky this is now a band whose music undulates."

The cover and insert artwork are parts of a painting entitled "8th and Main" by Jacob van Loon.[10]

Accolades

Accolades for The Wilderness
Publication Accolade Year Rank
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
32[11]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
57[12]

Track listing

The Wilderness track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Wilderness"4:36
2."The Ecstatics"3:12
3."Tangle Formations"5:34
4."Logic of a Dream"6:37
5."Disintegration Anxiety"4:11
6."Losing the Light"6:02
7."Infinite Orbit"2:37
8."Colors in Space"7:14
9."Landing Cliffs"6:17
Total length:46:20

Charts

Chart performance for The Wilderness
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14] 61
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 98
Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 77
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 93
UK Albums (OCC)[18] 39
US Billboard 200[19] 24

References

  1. ^ "'The Wilderness' - PREORDER | Explosions In The Sky official storefront powered by Merchline". Explosionsinthesky.merchline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Wilderness by Explosions In the Sky on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews for The Wilderness by Explosions in the Sky". Metacritic. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Paul Simpson (April 1, 2016). "The Wilderness - Explosions in the Sky | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Young, Alex (March 30, 2016). "Explosions in the Sky – The Wilderness | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Dave Simpson. "Explosions in the Sky: The Wilderness CD review – beautifully understated epic | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "The Wilderness by Explosions in the Sky | Album Review". The Line Of Best Fit. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Brandon Stosuy (March 28, 2016). "Explosions in the Sky: The Wilderness Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "Q Magazine Music news & reviews, music videos, band pictures & interviews". Q. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  10. ^ "Making the Art of Explosions in the Sky's 'The Wilderness' [Premiere]". February 17, 2016.
  11. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2016". Consequence of Sound. November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  12. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Explosions in the Sky – The Wilderness" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Explosions in the Sky – The Wilderness" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Explosions in the Sky – The Wilderness" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 14, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  17. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Explosions in the Sky – The Wilderness". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  19. ^ "Explosions in the Sky Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.