| The Exploding Hearts | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genre: | Punk rock, Glam punk, Power pop, |
| Years Active: | 2001 - 2003 |
| Label: | Vinyl Warning, Pelado, Screaming Apple, Dirtnap |
| Associated Acts: | The Nice Boys, The Iguanas |
| Past Members: | Adam Cox (deceased) Matt Fitzgerald (deceased) Terry Six Jeremy Gage (deceased) King Louie Bankston (deceased) Jim Evans Matt Bunza |
The Exploding Hearts were an American punk rock and power pop band formed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 2001. The band was composed of vocalist/guitarist Adam Cox, bassist Matt Fitzgerald, guitarist Terry Six, and drummer Jeremy Gage.[1]
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 ceased to exist.[1]
The band rose to prominence in the US Pacific Northwest scene shortly after they formed in 2001. The band drew influences from early British punk bands such as Buzzcocks, The Clash, The Jam, The Boys and The Only Ones, and Irish band The Undertones, as well as power pop acts like Nick Lowe.[1] Adam Cox invited New Orleans musician King Louie Bankston into the band's lineup after Cox heard Bankston's song "I'm a Pretender" during a telephone conversation.[2] Cox and Bankston formed a songwriting partnership that would produce many of the songs that would appear on Guitar Romantic.[2]
The Exploding Hearts led a revival of 1970s-era power pop and new wave in the Seattle and Portland area along with bands like The Briefs and the Epoxies on the then-Seattle-based Dirtnap Records. Their combination of punk rock and power pop influenced melodies and their energetic live shows brought them attention on the West Coast and from magazines such as Maximumrocknroll and Shredding Paper, which featured them on their covers.[3] They released their debut studio album, Guitar Romantic, in April 2003. Bankston left the band shortly after the album was released.[2]
On July 20, 2003, the band was headed home to Portland on Interstate 5 after having played at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. It is believed that Fitzgerald, who was driving, fell asleep and lost control of their van near Eugene, Oregon. Cox, 23, and Gage, 21, were thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene and Fitzgerald, 20, died at a hospital. Guitarist Terry Six, 21, and manager Rachell Ramos, 35, sustained only minor injuries.[3] [4] 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,[5] and their album Guitar Romantic deemed the 60th best album of the decade by Pitchfork Media.[6]
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.[2] Bankston died on February 13, 2022.[2]
Their song "Your Shadow" is featured in the EA skateboarding video game Skate.
A documentary film is currently in production and is scheduled for a future release.