Semisonic

Semisonic emerged as an American rock trio whose post-grunge edge fused with melodic power pop to create an infectious approach that produced their lasting radio staple, the Grammy-nominated “Closing Time” from 1998. The track anchored their breakthrough second album, Feeling Strangely Fine, which carried the group to mainstream prominence before they entered an extended break following the 2001 arrival of their third record, All About Chemistry. Renewed interest in ’90s sounds prompted the Minneapolis unit to reconvene after nearly twenty years apart, first issuing the EP You’re Not Alone in 2020 and then delivering their fourth full-length, A Little Bit of Sun, in 2024.

The band took shape in the early ’90s once alt-rock group Trip Shakespeare dissolved, with Minneapolis natives Dan Wilson and John Munson forming the core and later adding drummer Jacob Slichter. Whereas Trip Shakespeare had cultivated a devoted following through intricate vocal blends and inventive guitar lines, Wilson steered Semisonic toward a polished, concise style more suited to broad commercial appeal. Originally operating under the name Pleasure, the trio quickly landed a contract with Elektra, only to see the agreement terminated amid a management shake-up at the label’s central offices.

They recovered by joining MCA in 1995 and self-producing the EP Pleasure. Their first proper album, The Great Divide, appeared the next year and earned positive notices for its bright, straightforward modern pop. The decisive leap, however, came with 1998’s Feeling Strangely Fine. Lead single “Closing Time” reached the top of the modern rock chart and remained a perennial airplay favorite well into the following decade, while “Secret Smile” later peaked inside the U.K. Top 20.

Semisonic’s third album, All About Chemistry, surfaced in early 2001 and spawned further British successes such as “Chemistry,” yet it did not sustain their American audience. The group closed the year by contributing “Over My Head” to the Summer Catch soundtrack and covering Wings’ “Jet” for the Paul McCartney tribute collection Listen to What the Man Said. Wilson meanwhile began assembling solo material with Midwest performances, and his brother Matt joined John Munson in the Flops. With these outside endeavors accumulating, Semisonic entered indefinite hiatus by the end of 2001.

Wilson subsequently built a solo career and co-wrote for other acts, including the Dixie Chicks’ 2007 Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way and Adele’s 2012 Grammy winner 21. Munson stayed busy with Minneapolis outfits such as the New Standards and the Twilight Hours, the latter again pairing him with Matt Wilson. Slichter, meanwhile, found literary success with his 2004 memoir So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star.

The three musicians returned for several hometown concerts in 2017, performing both The Great Divide and Feeling Strangely Fine in full. A twentieth-anniversary edition of the latter arrived in 2018 with four contemporaneous B-sides. Buoyed by the activity, they entered Wilson’s Los Angeles studio to cut the 2020 EP You’re Not Alone, their first new songs in almost two decades. Back in working order, Semisonic tracked a fourth album under Wilson’s production. A Little Bit of Sun appeared in late 2023, containing several co-writes with Jim James, Lori McKenna, and Amy Allen—colleagues Wilson had met through his later songwriting work. Marking their first album in over twenty years, it carried an optimistic spirit laced with nostalgic tones.