''End'' is the eighth studio album by American
post-rock
Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
band
Explosions in the Sky, released on September 15, 2023, through
Temporary Residence Limited. It was announced alongside the release of lead single "Ten Billion People". The band will tour North America, Europe and the UK in support of the record from September 15 to November 20, 2023.
Background
In a press release accompanying the announcement, the band stated that ''End'' was not the band's final album but that the album's "starting point was the concept of an ending—death, or the end of a friendship or relationship".
Critical reception
''End'' received a score of 73 out of 100 on review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
based on ten critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception.
''
Mojo
Mojo may refer to:
*Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* MOJO HD, an American television network
* ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film
* '' ...
'' called it "a 'rumination on life and death', which suitably chimed with earth's current 'end times' vibe, from sorrow to rage, elevated by post-rock's most luminescent guitars."
''
Uncut'' found that "the music is varied, best expressed by 'Peace or Quiet', which stretches their loud-quiet dynamic as far as it can go".
Paul Simpson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
felt that ''End'' "incorporates a lot of the touches and techniques that made ''
The Wilderness'' stand out in the group's discography, from rippling electronics to post-minimalist repetition".
Bruno Coulombe of ''
Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' stated that the album "feels like a return to form" and "contrary to ''The Wilderness'', there are no formless ambient numbers to quell the energy between the more consistent, epic compositions".
Track listing
Charts
References
{{Explosions in the Sky
2023 albums
Albums produced by John Congleton
Explosions in the Sky albums
Temporary Residence Limited albums