courtesy Or Does It Explode?
The band Or Does It Explode? on a couch.
Or Does It Explode is J Granberg, left, Shawn Bass, Erik Rasmuson, Brandon Boggess and Katya Pierce.
Madison’s music scene is flourishing right now. “What’s been interesting as a musician in this town for a long time is to see the ebbs and flows, these times where the scene is super vibrant,” says Or Does it Explode guitarist Shawn Bass. “Right now, the scene is killing it! There are so many good bands in Madison right now, it’s awesome.”
At their upcoming show at High Noon Saloon on Feb. 17, Or Does It Explode will bring their explosive energy alongside a lineup that includes fellow Madison-based bands Boxing Day and Mio Min Mio, as well as Milwaukee’s RiotNine and Snag.
Comprised of Bass (guitar/vocals), Erik Rasmuson (drums), J Granberg (bass), Brandon Boggess (guitar), and Katya Pierce (vocals), Or Does It Explode seamlessly merges elements of Midwest emo and post-hardcore, crafting a distinct sound. From clean guitar riffs to the steady rhythm section, every instrument shines through on songs like “The Great Forgetting” — the penultimate track from their 2023 sophomore album, The Medium Is The Message. The album is filled with memorable, melodic guitar hooks on songs like “Symbiosis,” while all five members show off their instrumental prowess during the heavier breakdown on album closer “The Next to Last Time.”
Or Does It Explode morphed out of Our Friends, The Savages, a previous project Bass and Rasmuson were part of. When Granberg and Boggess replaced the guitarists in 2019, Bass decided to take the band in a different direction, and Or Does It Explode was born. “I always envisioned more of a Midwest emo thing, and [instead] we had started veering off more towards a hard rock sound,” Bass says. “It was nice to get back to the roots of where I wanted things to be.” In 2022, Or Does It Explode released their debut album, entitled Chrysalis — a name which Bass says is an homage to the band’s change in sound and personnel.
About a year ago, the band responded to Katya’s Craigslist post while searching for a vocalist to split vocal duties with Bass.
“My biggest reservation in bringing in a singer who wasn’t me was I was really worried we’d get someone who wrote bad lyrics,” Bass says. “It was a huge relief to find a singer who writes great lyrics, is very thoughtful, creative, and has a passion for writing meaningful topics”
Taken from a line in the Langston Hughes poem “Harlem” (which also gave a name to Lorraine Hansberry’s classic play A Raisin in the Sun), their evocative band name is a nod to the kinds of subject matter that inform their music. “I can’t write without thinking about social and political issues,” Bass says. “I wanted something that communicated some political and social message without being too in your face.”
That message translates through their dynamic sound as well, especially in the use of samples on songs like “White Witch,” a track about white privilege. Bass deploys the samples sparingly, which gives their occasional appearances all the more impact. They’re also a way to give voice to other communities. “I’m a straight white male, right? And I can talk about social issues because they’re really important to me but sometimes there’s that issue of people like me talking for others,” Bass says. “I really hope the use of samples gives voice to the community I’m speaking about.” Layering engaging samples of political commentators between vocals from Katya and Bass, the song crescendos to a powerful finale.
Live, Or Does It Explode delivers an engaging performance. They want to ensure shows never feel routine, and they never play the same set twice.
“The shows that I feel the best as an audience member are when I’ve experienced something new and something unique,” Katya says. “It can be a band that I’ve seen multiple times, but if I really walk away thinking, ‘this is a night that is never gonna happen again,’ that is a really special and intimate experience.”
