The Wilderness (Explosions in the Sky album)

The Wilderness is the seventh studio album by American post-rock band Explosions in the Sky, released on April 1, 2016, through Temporary Residence Limited.^[1][2]

The Wilderness
Studio album by Explosions in the Sky
Released	April 1, 2016
Genre	Post-rock, electronic rock
Length	46:20
Label	Temporary Residence Limited
Producer	Explosions in the Sky John Congleton
Explosions in the Sky chronology
Take Care, Take Care, Take Care (2011) The Wilderness (2016) End (2023)
Singles from The Wilderness
"Disintegration Anxiety" Released: January 10, 2016 "Logic of a Dream" Released: February 29, 2016

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Consequence of Sound	[5]
The Guardian	[6]
The Line of Best Fit	[7]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[8]
Q	[9]

The album has received positive reviews from critics, and Metacritic has assigned it an average score of 80/100 based on 26 critics.^[3] Dave Simpson for The Guardian called it a "beautifully understated epic" and rewarded the album 4 out of 5 stars.^[6] Johnathan K. Dick, writing for Consequence of Sound stated that, "The Wilderness proves that Explosions in the Sky aren't stuck in any creative rut." and gave the album a B+.^[5] Paul Simpson for AllMusic said, "On The Wilderness, Explosions in the Sky deconstruct and rebuild their sound from the ground up, giving it a revitalized sense of urgency and resulting in some of their most dynamic work yet."^[4] Pitchfork gave the album 8/10 and said it is "their best since The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place."^[8]

Mojo, in their May 2016 issue, stated, "Although recognisably, and powerfully, the work of Explosions In The Sky this is now a band whose music undulates."

The cover and insert artwork are parts of a painting entitled "8th and Main" by Jacob van Loon.^[10]

Accolades

Accolades for The Wilderness

Publication	Accolade	Year	Rank
Consequence of Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2016	2016	32[11]
Rough Trade	Albums of the Year	2016	57[12]

Track listing

The Wilderness track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Wilderness"	4:36
2.	"The Ecstatics"	3:12
3.	"Tangle Formations"	5:34
4.	"Logic of a Dream"	6:37
5.	"Disintegration Anxiety"	4:11
6.	"Losing the Light"	6:02
7.	"Infinite Orbit"	2:37
8.	"Colors in Space"	7:14
9.	"Landing Cliffs"	6:17
Total length:		46:20

Charts

Chart performance for The Wilderness

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[13]	33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[14]	61
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15]	98
Irish Albums (IRMA)[16]	77
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17]	93
UK Albums (OCC)[18]	39
US Billboard 200[19]	24