Exploding In Sound Records

Exploding In Sound Records is an American independent record label founded in 2011 by Dan Goldin and Dave Spak, originally in the Boston-area music community and later based in New York City. The label emerged from the founders’ interest in supporting local bands whose music they felt was underrepresented by the mainstream industry. Goldin had worked at Island Def Jam Music Group, but became dissatisfied with working primarily around music that did not reflect the independent artists he and Spak were seeing at local shows. Before the label formally began releasing records, Goldin used the Exploding in Sound name for a music blog. His stated concept was to build an audience around a distinctive taste in music and then use that audience as a foundation for a record label. The label’s early identity was closely connected to Boston’s DIY and underground rock networks. In 2011, Goldin moved to New York City, while Spak relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania. The founders continued operating the label across locations and signed the Boston band Pile after encountering the group at a CMJ showcase on October 16, 2011. Exploding In Sound’s early catalog included Grass Is Green’s “Ronson,” the Speedy Ortiz “Sports EP,” the “Split Dicks” seven-inch by Grass Is Green and Two Inch Astronaut, and Pile’s “Dripping.” These releases established a catalog centered on energetic, guitar-driven music and small-scale physical editions rather than conventional commercial pop. Exploding In Sound became associated with a wider group of emerging artists from Massachusetts and neighboring independent-music scenes. Its roster and release activity included Speedy Ortiz, Pile, LVL UP, Ovlov, Fat History Month, Krill, Kal Marks, Ponybones, Grass Is Green, and Two Inch Astronaut. Speedy Ortiz’s debut album, “Major Arcana,” was released by Carpark Records while the band remained part of the broader Exploding In Sound community, illustrating the label’s role as a creative and artist-development network as well as a conventional release outlet. The label’s connections also extended through collaborations and guest appearances, including Speedy Ortiz vocalist Sadie Dupuis’s contribution to Ovlov’s “am.” Live events became an important part of the label’s public identity. In October 2013, Exploding In Sound and its founders organized an unofficial CMJ showcase at Brooklyn’s Silent Barn, combining an eleven-band bill with the label’s second birthday celebration. Contemporary coverage characterized the event as unusually cohesive and energetic, and Goldin later described it as one of his favorite label events. In 2015, the label organized a five-day, six-show celebration spanning Boston and New York. The concept was to have every act that had released material through the label perform on at least one night. By September 2015, reporting described the roster as containing thirty-three artists. The label’s significance lies less in scale than in its role within independent American rock. Exploding In Sound helped provide recording, release, touring, and community infrastructure for bands that occupied the space between local DIY scenes and broader national recognition. Its catalog is associated with noisy, melodic, experimental, and lo-fi approaches to guitar music, while its showcases reinforced the idea of the label as a shared scene and community. Publicly available reference material does not establish detailed ownership, revenue, corporate structure, or a complete current roster, so those aspects remain unspecified.

Exploding In Sound began as a music-blog concept associated with Dan Goldin, who had previously worked at Island Def Jam Music Group. Goldin and Dave Spak were students at Northeastern University and shared an interest in bands performing in the Boston-area underground scene. Goldin’s dissatisfaction with working around music that did not match his own interests encouraged him to create a platform with a more focused taste. The blog was intended to build an audience that could eventually support a record label. The record label was founded in 2011. During that period, Goldin moved from Boston to New York City, while Spak relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Despite the geographic separation, the founders continued building a label centered on homegrown and emerging independent acts. Pile became an early signing after the founders saw the Boston band at a CMJ showcase on October 16, 2011. Early releases included Grass Is Green’s “Ronson,” the Speedy Ortiz “Sports EP,” the “Split Dicks” seven-inch split by Grass Is Green and Two Inch Astronaut, and Pile’s “Dripping.” The Speedy Ortiz release was identified as the label’s first record pressing. During the label’s expansion, Exploding In Sound developed a roster that included artists from Massachusetts and related American independent-rock networks. The label released or supported work by Fat History Month, Krill, Kal Marks, Ponybones, LVL UP, Ovlov, and other groups in addition to Pile, Speedy Ortiz, and Grass Is Green. Speedy Ortiz later released its debut album “Major Arcana” through Carpark Records, but remained connected to the Exploding In Sound family. This period demonstrated the label’s importance as a network that could support artists even when particular releases appeared through other companies. Exploding In Sound also used live programming to strengthen its identity. In October 2013, the label presented an unofficial CMJ showcase at Silent Barn in Brooklyn. The eleven-band event doubled as a second-anniversary celebration and was widely described in contemporary coverage as more than a routine showcase because of the strong connection among the performers and audience. In 2015, the label expanded this event-based approach through a five-day, six-show celebration in Boston and New York. The stated goal was to give every artist who had released something through the label an opportunity to perform during at least one of the nights. By September 2015, the roster was reported to contain thirty-three artists. The label’s historical role is that of a curator and community builder within American independent rock. Its output has emphasized physical releases, emerging artists, and music situated between DIY scenes and broader alternative-rock visibility. Public sources establish the label’s founding, location, early catalog, artists, and events, but do not provide a complete account of its current corporate structure, ownership, financial performance, or present-day roster.

• 2015

  Boston and New York celebration

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The label hosted a five-day, six-show program across Boston and New York, with the intention of featuring its released artists.

• 2013

  Silent Barn anniversary showcase

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  Exploding In Sound presented an eleven-band unofficial CMJ showcase in Brooklyn as its second birthday event.

• 2012

  Early catalog expands

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The label added the “Split Dicks” seven-inch by Grass Is Green and Two Inch Astronaut and Pile’s “Dripping.”

• 2011

  Label founded

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  Dan Goldin and Dave Spak established Exploding In Sound after developing the name through Goldin’s music-blog project.

• 2011

  Pile joins the label

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The Boston band Pile was signed after appearing at a CMJ showcase on October 16.

• 2011

  First releases appear

  [1]Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org

  Early catalog items included Grass Is Green’s “Ronson” and the Speedy Ortiz “Sports EP.”

A community-oriented American independent label focused on emerging underground, alternative, experimental, and guitar-driven rock artists.

• Single or short-form recording · 2011

  Ronson

  Grass Is Green’s “Ronson” was among Exploding In Sound’s earliest releases. It appeared on CD and helped establish the label’s initial focus on emerging Boston-area and underground rock acts.

• EP · 2011

  Sports EP

  The Speedy Ortiz “Sports EP” was one of the label’s formative releases and is identified in reference material as Exploding In Sound’s first record pressing. It represents the label’s early investment in energetic, guitar-oriented independent music.

• Seven-inch split single · 2012

  Split Dicks

  “Split Dicks” paired Grass Is Green with Two Inch Astronaut on a seven-inch release. The split format reflected the label’s role in connecting related underground bands and presenting them through compact physical editions.

• Album or extended recording · 2012

  Dripping

  “Dripping” was an early Pile release issued through Exploding In Sound. Its inclusion in the formative catalog helped cement the label’s connection to the Boston independent-rock scene.

• Album

  Major Arcana

  Speedy Ortiz’s debut album “Major Arcana” was released by Carpark Records, while the band continued to be associated with the Exploding In Sound community. It illustrates the label’s broader artist-development and scene-building role beyond releases issued directly under its imprint.

• Album · 2013

  am

  Ovlov’s “am” is associated with the label’s wider artist network and included a vocal contribution from Speedy Ortiz’s Sadie Dupuis. It is referenced as part of the collaborative relationships surrounding Exploding In Sound.

• 2015Five-day, six-show label celebration

  United States · Boston · New York City

  The label staged a multi-day celebration across Boston and New York, designed around performances by artists who had released material through Exploding In Sound.

  Outcome. The program showcased the breadth of the roster; contemporary reporting described the roster as comprising thirty-three artists by September 2015.

  Source
• 2013Silent Barn unofficial CMJ showcase

  United States · New York City

  Exploding In Sound organized an eleven-band showcase at Brooklyn’s Silent Barn during CMJ season, using the event both to present its roster and to mark the label’s second birthday.

  Outcome. The event received strong contemporary attention and became an important marker of the label’s identity as a cohesive artist community rather than only a release imprint.

  Source

• 2011

  Build a label from a music-blog audienceStrategy

  Background

  Dan Goldin developed the Exploding In Sound name first as a music blog after becoming dissatisfied with the musical environment of his corporate-label work.

  Action taken

  Goldin and Dave Spak used the blog’s audience and musical identity as the foundation for an independent label focused on local and emerging bands.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced a label closely associated with Boston-area underground rock and a wider independent-artist community.

  Source

• 2011

  Prioritize small-format physical releasesProduct launch

  Background

  The new label needed a practical way to introduce emerging artists and build a recognizable catalog.

  Action taken

  Exploding In Sound issued early material on CD and vinyl, including Grass Is Green’s “Ronson” and the Speedy Ortiz “Sports EP.”

  Aftermath

  Physical releases became an important part of the label’s early identity and helped connect its catalog to DIY music culture.

  Source

1. 1Exploding in Sounden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Exploding In Sound Records official websiteexplodinginsoundrecords.com