The Exploding Hearts is an American punk rock and power pop band formed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 2001. The band's principal lineup during their initial tenure was composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage.

Shortly after the release of their debut studio album, Guitar Romantic, Cox, Fitzgerald, and Gage were killed in a car accident on July 20, 2003, after which the band disbanded. Cox and Bankston formed a songwriting partnership that would produce many of the songs that would appear on Guitar Romantic. They released their debut studio album, Guitar Romantic, in April 2003. Bankston left the band shortly after the album was released. The band disbanded in the aftermath of the accident.

A compilation album was released by Dirtnap Records in 2006. In 2009, their song "Modern Kicks" was listed as the 290th greatest song of the decade, and their album Guitar Romantic deemed the 60th best album of the decade by Pitchfork Media.

Post-Exploding Hearts projects

Terry Six joined former members of the Portland-based band The Riffs, Gabe Lageson, Colin Jarrell, Alan Mansfield, and established the Portland-based power pop band, The Nice Boys. They released a 7" single on Discourage Records entitled "You Won't See Me Anymore" b/w "Lipstick Love" and a S/T full-length album on Birdman Records. Six and former Exploding Hearts member King Louie Bankston formed the duo Terry & Louie in the 2010s and released the album ...A Thousand Guitars in 2015. Six's band will play under the Exploding Hearts name at the Mosswood Meltdown festival in Oakland, California in July 2025.

The first show was played at the legendary Pappy & Harriet’s and was very well received.

They will also be playing the Funtastic Dracula Carnival to a sold out audience, and in London with The Speedways |https://thespeedways.bandcamp.com/music| amongst other European dates

Members

Current members

  • Terry Six – guitars <small>(2001–2003; 2023–present)</small> lead vocals <small>(2023–present)</small>
  • Murat Aktürk – guitars <small>(2023–present)</small>
  • John Tyree – drums, percussion <small>(2023–present)</small>
  • Chad Savage – bass <small>(2023–present)</small>

Former members

  • Adam Cox – lead vocals, guitars <small>(2001–2003; his death)</small>
  • King Louie Bankston – keyboards <small>(2001–2002; died 2022)</small>
  • Jim Evans – bass <small>(2001–2002)</small>
  • Matt Bunza – drums <small>(2001)</small>
  • Jeremy Gage – drums, percussion <small>(2001–2003; his death)</small>
  • Matt Fitzgerald – bass <small>(2002–2003; his death)</small>

Discography

Albums

  • Guitar Romantic (CD/LP, 2003): Recorded at Studio 13 in April 2002 by Pat Kearns. Produced by Pat Kearns and The Exploding Hearts. The LP was released on Screaming Apple Records with an initial pressing of 1000. The CD was released on Dirtnap Records on March 24, 2003 with an initial pressing of 2300.
  • Shattered (CD, 2006): This Dirtnap Records CD is a compilation of all of the Hearts' singles, including their unreleased final recordings. There is also a five-song video collection of live performances from the band's second to final show at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.

Singles

  • "(Making) Teenage Faces" (2002): Single release on Vinyl Warning Records with an initial press of 200 white and 300 black vinyl. The b-side is "Your Shadow". A second pressing of 500 on black vinyl was also made. The planned third pressing (which was to have a different cover) was canceled after the accident.
  • "Modern Kicks" (2003): The single version is different from the version on the full-length album. The single was released on Pelado Records in a pressing of 700 black, 200 mixed colors. The b-side is "Busy Signals"
  • " I'm a Pretender" (2003): Was also released on Pelado Records

Compilations

  • Dirtnap Across the Northwest (2003): This Dirtnap Records label compilation featured The Exploding Hearts' cover of FU2's song "Sniffin' Glue."

Demos

  • Original Demo (2001): Unreleased three song demo recorded with original drummer Matt Bunza. Contains as yet unreleased versions of “So Bored” and “Black and Blue.” The band's cover of the Paul Collins' Beat’s “Walkin out on Love” was recorded as part of this.
  • The Pink Demo (2002): Unreleased five song demo, recorded with engineer Pat Kearns. Most of these songs were later released on Shattered, although the demo does contain an as yet unreleased version of “Still Crazy.”

Their song "Your Shadow" is featured in the EA skateboarding video game Skate.

Filmography

A documentary film is currently in production and is scheduled for a future release.

References

  • Article on the Exploding Hearts history
  • Exploding Hearts interview from MRR No.&nbsp;240
  • The Seattle Times news story on the van crash that took the lives of three members of the band
  • "Revisiting the Legacy of Garage Pop Giants The Exploding Hearts", bandcamp.com, July 2, 2023
  • Feature article about The Exploding Hearts, rollingstone.com, September 6, 2023