this is exploding

Straight-forward power-pop band produces pieces that with a lot more polish could be standard radio fare. The four-members, who all write independently, clearly know the elements of a song. However, execution is another matter. The stilted generic riffs and mushy, muddled jams get repetitive. Though not unpleasant, jams don’t seem to be going anywhere. Vocals, however, are a bit strained, with halting, William Shatner-like, one-word phrases on a couple tracks. This could be a result of four songwriters — vocalists seem to artificially extend phrases to get in sync with the instrumentation. The upbeat “Neither do I” is the best track, as the energetic vocals don’t get ahead of the music. (Ted Power)
- demorama

Until The Next Red Light
THIS IS EXPLODING

reviewed by spodysingalong

Having reviewed this band's 2003 EP, we had some expectations. We were expecting an energetic and explosive rock sound. We got it! We weren't expecting the rapid and obvious maturity from one release to the next. Call us flabbergasted. I got to do the review, so it was my extreme pleasure to listen to this full and rich recording.

This self-recorded gem houses a few vocal foibles...a note is off every now and again. But that's not something I dwell on. I'm here to say that for the most part these vocals are dead on. So very dead on. The lead singer's vocal range is astounding. There is strength and delicacy in equal measure. He growls, croons, bellows and cajoles, sometimes all in the same song.

Musically the album is just as diverse. There's an overall rock vibe and energy, but each song has its own signature and drama. There's a hint of retro throughout, a hint that slides in and out and around the modern rock energy. "Stop" especially shows an understanding of the appeal of loud/soft, slow/fast dynamics, along with a power 70's guitar solo.

There's still plenty of distortion and jangle. It's just that the entire package that is This Is Exploding has been enhanced by leaps and bounds without it becoming safe and sterile. There's still plenty of danger and drama, plenty of essential edge. It's just been buffed up with exactly the right amount of polish.

This is a beguiling mixture of 70's guitar, 80's pop punch, 90's modern rock intensity and the band's own unique new millennium energy and creativity.

Bravo...
- South of Mainstream

CD Reviews
This Is Exploding
Self-Titled EP


As their name suggests, Cleveland based "This is exploding" are poised to blow up on the alternative rock scene anytime soon! For a band formed in late 2002, this rising quartet have permaturely ejaculated the sound of the unknown indie band we all love to keep to ourselves. They sure have talent for a 1-year old.(Their press pack included one tiny candle to signify their birthday as group, though it kinda melted in my hands it was still a clever gesture!)

Dan Price, Nick Tolar, Brian Hill, and Joshua Jesty are "This is exploding." With the muscular backing of the Michael J Media Group based out of Nashville, TN their 5-song EP sounds like the work of Jimmy Eat World producer Mark Trombino mixed with the seasoned Rick Rubin. Every instrument, especially the bass, is clearly defined in the production.

The artistic value of songs like the rocking opener, "Girl named Hell" and borderline ballad "Uneductated" are worth their weight in gold (well gold singles, that is). "Neither do I" takes off like a supersonic jet trying to race the wind. Credit to the rythm section must be given for their foundation; these two are as tight as two musicians can be.

The last song, "Plan" is the quiet breather of the album, and it's my favorite. For sure you can hear the Pixies and Death Cab for Cutie in it...but mostly it's "This is exploding's" finest moment. They show that they're more than just power chords and sweat: underneath it all is a sultry, imaginative musical endevour that they should be proud of. Here's to your next birthday and many more CD's!

I give this album an 8 out of 10 on the evolution scale!






Please visit the This Is Exploding website at
www.thisisexploding.com - Evolving Artist

THIS IS EXPLODING

This Is Exploding (5-song EP) (self-released)

This Cleveland four-piece shows some real promise on this debut, with lots of emo overtones and strong pop melodies lurking underneath. “Better” might be the best of this inaugural bunch, but “Girl Named Hell” and “Uneducated” are no slouches, either. That being said, the overall sound is still a little raw. But with this level of talent, guitarists Joshua Jesty and Nick Tolar, bassist Brian Hill and drummer Dan Price will only get better with time and the experience that comes from playing every flophouse and beer joint that will have them. [www.thisisexploding.com]. Frank Esposito
- Glass Eye

This is Exploding - EP

Cleveland, Ohio almost punk band This Is Exploding haven't been together long, but they still deserve a shot out as they lay down 5 solid tracks, and a video, on this enhanced EP. The sound is at times a little shaky, but overall the 4 guys have a solid sound that is pure punk pop. The guitars re edgy, the sound is raw, the mix is ok, and the complete picture, although a bit rough and obviously Indie, is still a good purchase for the sound. The boys lay down some good tracks and face the music like a band that's been together for a longer time.The band just turned one (1) on September 23rd.

The name fits the band as they are definitely exploding onto the Cleveland music scene in a big way. The band has played a host of shows in over 6 markets already, as well as having their music featured in Independent films. The band plays their style of tunes, and take no prisoners as they rock their little world, be on the lookout for this band in the next little while, and you will remember the name of This Is Exploding.
- Rikks Reviews

Artist: This is Exploding
CD: self-titled

Home: Cleveland, Ohio

Style: Emo/power pop

Quote: "I couldn't really see thier faces on the enhanced CD, but if these guys are cute, send them to MTV ASAP."

By Chris Weary

With the political climate like it is, there is no better time for This is Exploding's emo-tional on slaught. These guys pull from a style popularized by Jeremy Enick and Sunny Day Real Estate in the mid 1990s, and is now recieving some redemption on MTV, even spawning a spin off genre, scremo.

This is Exploding is not quite scremo, but they have potential. The first song is a track titled "Girl From Hell," which is a timeless tale of blueballs and the girl who gives them. This song sounds like what happened when Jimmy Eat World and Blink 182 got togther with Funsize and jammed. The second song, "Better," a story of teenage suicide, throws some Jawbreaker into the mix. The singer sounds like Tevor from Face to Face doing a John K. Samson of Proagandi cover, from the album Less Talk More Rock. I couldn't really see thier faces on the enhanced CD, but if these guys are cute, send them to MTV asap.
- Indiemusic.com

This Is Exploding
This Is Exploding EP (2003)
Self-Released

Personnel: Joshua Testy, vocals/Nick, guitar/Brian, bass/Dan, drums

Track Listing: “Girl Named Hell”/“Better”/“Uneducated”/“Neither Do I”/“Plan”

Slightly off-kilter, grainy, urgent power/garage-pop from, where else, Cleveland. (Like Mott said, Cleveland rocks, and I have yet to find any evidence to the contrary.) This five-song EP is one o’ them little nuggets I’m so fucking thrilled to find buried among the coffee-house crooners, indie poseurs and growling metal-monkeys that I play it over and over again until the people around me have heard it so many times that they end up loving it more than I do. (Damn, I should do more promotions work, man.)

Lead singer Joshua Testy spits out his lines—heartbreak, angst and wounded ego, but what else do ya expect from a kid—like he’s been waiting all of his life for a minute at the mic, and the band’s smooth blend of influences ranging from Fugazi, Weezer, The Pixies, Sebadoh and (definitely) Fretblanket make for a whirling, delicate cacophony.

The five songs included in this package are a moody, crackling batch of post-modern rockers (and one ballad) whose subject matter ranges from the obvious anti-love ditty (“Girl Named Hell”) to a friend’s suicide (“Better”), sex (the “I want to fuck a smart girl” twist of “Uneducated”), and existentialism (“Neither Do I,” “Plan.”). The band also goes the extra mile here and includes a thought-provoking claymation video for “Better,” a freaky, cosmic, cartoon-like visual companion for that otherwise dark number.

All in all, this is a cool little E.P., and I’d definitely check ‘em out live. Their website (http://www.thisisexploding.com) has updates, photos, etc., and says they’ve got a full-length in the works. Watch for ‘em, ‘cause I got a feelin’ This Is Exploding is gonna hit ya with a big (sorry) BANG real soon, baby.

That’s all the room we got this week, ye rambunctious, rollicking Round The Dial readers, so tune in again for more March Musical Muck Madness. Until next time—make yer own damn news.

- pulsetc.com

By D.X. Ferris

Published: Wednesday, November 16, 2005


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. - Scene Magazine

This is Exploding
Until the Next Red Light
Self-Released
Appropriate to the band’s
name, there’s a whole lot of sound
flying around on This is
Exploding’s debut full length, Until
the Next Red Light. The Cleveland
area quartet is clearly enamored of
the brawny rock of the ’70s, given
their penchant for muscular guitar
solos and power chording. At the
same time, TIS offers up sheets of
emo/pop/punk guitar squall reminiscent
of the passionate slash of
Promise Ring and Jets to Brazil.
Guitarist Joshua Jesty veers madly
between a math-like precision
(“Fiction”) and monolithic slab
riffage (“Stop”), sometimes all
within the same song (“The
Backseat of Your Heart”) but his
insistent vocals and the band’s
boundless energy place This is
Exploding firmly in the modern
pop/punk camp.
-BRIAN BAKER
- Amplifier Magazine

This Is Exploding
Until the Next Red Light
Grade: B

Though riffing on the Get Up Kids’ artwork for Something to Write Home About, Cleveland-based This is Exploding delivers ten tracks of indie-punk bliss on their debut record. Straight up, though the album art and packaging insinuated something cool, I wasn’t expecting the band to deliver to such a degree. While, the four-piece This is Exploding is not going to define a sound or score points for ingenuity, they are able to rock that classic Midwestern indie rock foundation with hints of contemporary spin. In that regard, I expected them to be from a hip college town, like Chapel Hill, and not a dingy city. What characterize these ten tracks are the vocals and the guitar work, both of which make them very distinctive. It is almost like they are generic but with an indie rock twist. Of course, the songs can be a bit hit or miss as you would expect from a developing group, but they are strong enough to hold the record together. For instance, “Drive,” “Without a Fight” and “Mourning” are hot, but “Fiction” and “Break” are mildly off pace. This is a group that I would certainly be down to check out live. If they are able to get on a tour with more well-known and similar-minded bands, they could breakthrough. A word of advice, though, about Cleveland; leave while you got something going. You need to be in a location that fully embraces and loves the indie sound and fosters bands to the other side popularity. - exoduster.com