Explosions in the Sky: The Stories Behind Each Song on New Album Take Care

Photo by Erik Hess

Explosions in the Sky's Munaf Rayani.

Unlike with a lot of bands who play ten-minute guitar songs, if you start seeing things when listening to Explosions in the Sky, it isn't necessarily because of drugs.

"We find images for reference points," guitarist Munaf Rayani tells Crossfade. "Sometimes melody isn't even introduced until an entire story is told to one another."

Explosions in the Sky plays Grand Central on June 20. After the cut, Rayani shares the stories behind each song on the band's new album, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care.



"Last Known Surroundings"
"This is the idea of landing on a new planet, but the place being familiar enough that think you've been there before. Who or what you're looking for has disappeared off the map but was last seen here."



"Human Qualities"
"The way we produced some of those sounds, it seemed less like instruments being played. The sounds were more intimate and tangible and very human. Some of the beats are acutally us playing the beat on our chests. The idea for 'Human Qualities' was that it should sound like being human."