Explosions In The Sky cite July 4, 1999, as the day of their birth. Likewise, their name is drawn from “an uncomplicated flash of simple thought, looking at the fireworks in the dark night of Independence Day,” as they explain.

Comprising a core group of friends (Munaf Rayani, Mark Smith and Michael James) and one newbie, Chris Hrasky, Explosions started playing small gigs around Texas – their first show was for the employees of the Gallup opinion poll – and eventually recorded their demo EP, How Strange, Innocence, the following March.

Much like Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky create imaginative mood-scapes with their music. They even have gone so far as to say they don’t know the musical keys, only images, colors and moods. While that may or may not be true about their musical knowledge, the guys do capture distinctive ambiences with their guitar and drum skills.

Explosions In The Sky spent part of 2001 on the road with current touring buddies, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. After their spring venture, Explosions have said they’re working out plans for a tour of Holland, Belgium, the U.K., Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain in September and October, but no dates have been announced yet.

Their debut EP, paradoxically titled Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Live Forever, was released last fall.