Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band is a quartet, composed of drummer Chris Hrasky and guitarist/keyboardists Michael James, Munaf Rayani and Mark Smith. The band originally played under the name Breaker Morant, then changed to the current name in 1999. They primarily play with three electric guitars and a drum kit, although James will at times exchange his electric guitar for a bass guitar and all three guitarists also add additional keyboard and synthesizer parts. The band later added a fifth musician to their live performances, largely to accommodate for these bass and keyboard parts – a role currently held by multi-instrumentalist Jay Demko. The band has released eight studio albums to date; their most recent, End, was released in September 2023.
From left to right: Mark Smith, Michael James, Munaf Rayani, and Chris Hrasky
Performing at Central Park SummerStage on June 30, 2009
On stage in the Webster Hall, New York City, 2007
Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbres, as well as non-rock styles, with less emphasis on conventional song structures or riffs. Post-rock artists typically combine rock instrumentation with electronics. The genre emerged within the indie and underground music scene of the 1980s and early 1990s. However, due to its abandonment of rock conventions, it began to increasingly show little resemblance musically to conventional indie rock at the time, borrowing instead from diverse sources including ambient, electronica, jazz, krautrock, dub, and minimalist classical, with these influences also being pivotal for the style of ambient pop.
Post-rock group Sigur Rós performing at a 2005 concert in Reykjavík.
Post-rock group Mogwai performing at a 2007 concert.
Post-rock group Do Make Say Think performing at a May 2007 concert.