Biography
A side venture that unexpectedly flourished, the Folk Implosion originated as a partnership between Sebadoh's Lou Barlow and Boston-area songwriter John Davis. Although their initial output aligned closely with the lo-fi ethos prevalent in the early '90s, the pair supplied the soundtrack for Harmony Korine's 1995 film Kids with the sleek, weighty track "Natural One," which unexpectedly reached the Top 40. Their sound evolved toward atmospheric, electronic-inflected rhythms on the 1997 release Dare to Be Surprised, before restoring a rawer indie-rock edge to the Interscope-issued One Part Lullaby in 1999. The founding duo parted ways, placing the project on hold until Barlow and Davis reconvened in 2021; they promptly issued expanded reissues of prior work and delivered fresh material with the 2024 album Walk Thru Me, marking their first full-length studio effort in more than two decades.
After exiting Dinosaur Jr. in 1989, Barlow resumed activity with Sebadoh, the informal group of home-recording enthusiasts he had started a few years prior, and began issuing numerous recordings on the independent Homestead label. These intimate Sebadoh sessions drew the attention of Massachusetts singer/songwriter John Davis, who forwarded Barlow a cassette of his own four-track efforts. Correspondence ensued, leading the two to form the Folk Implosion in 1993—a name that wryly referenced the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—and to cut a self-titled cassette-only set inside Davis' residence. The British Chocolate Monk imprint first released that recording, while Drunken Fish later issued select tracks domestically as the 1994 7" EP Walk Thru This World with the Folk Implosion. The band then joined the Communion roster and completed the 1994 mini-album Take a Look Inside the Folk Implosion, followed in 1995 by the more experimental, import-only Electric Idiot EP.
The same year brought an invitation for Barlow and Davis to score Kids. Over half the songs on the resulting soundtrack came from the Folk Implosion, with one additional contribution credited to the Deluxx Folk Implosion, the occasional variant that enlisted Deluxx members Bob Fay (also of Sebadoh) and Mark Perretta. The film's unflinching depiction of New York teenage street life generated substantial debate, and the attendant publicity helped "Natural One" gain traction at alternative radio. The track's sinuous bass line and drum-machine pulse stood apart from anything either musician had previously produced; it climbed to number 29 on the Billboard pop chart in early 1996, allowing Davis to leave his librarian position. London Records, which had issued the soundtrack, sought to sign the group outright, yet Barlow and Davis preferred to remain with Communion and test whether further success could be achieved independently. Their next album, Dare to Be Surprised, took shape gradually across a year—partly because of Barlow's Sebadoh obligations—and appeared in 1997. The eight-track effort blended off-kilter pop with electronic textures and earned strong critical notices without producing another hit single. Later reconsidering, the Folk Implosion signed with Interscope and delivered the polished One Part Lullaby in 1999.
Davis departed shortly after that album's release, prompting Barlow to recruit latter-day Sebadoh drummer Russ Pollard and guitarist Imaad Wasif. This configuration issued The New Folk Implosion on Domino Records in 2003 and appeared as a rock band in the film Laurel Canyon before entering an extended hiatus.
Barlow and Davis resumed the Folk Implosion in 2021 with a small live performance and plans for new songs. That year they unveiled an expanded edition of Walk Thru This World; the following year they introduced fresh material via the Feel It If You Feel It EP. While preparing additional recordings, they also revisited earlier catalog items, culminating in 2023's Music for KIDS, a compilation of all their 1995 film contributions, several previously unreleased. The 2024 full-length Walk Thru Me arrived with production assistance from Scott Solter—previously associated with St. Vincent, Spoon, and others—and incorporated Davis' interest in traditional Middle Eastern instruments through the addition of oud and tombak.
After exiting Dinosaur Jr. in 1989, Barlow resumed activity with Sebadoh, the informal group of home-recording enthusiasts he had started a few years prior, and began issuing numerous recordings on the independent Homestead label. These intimate Sebadoh sessions drew the attention of Massachusetts singer/songwriter John Davis, who forwarded Barlow a cassette of his own four-track efforts. Correspondence ensued, leading the two to form the Folk Implosion in 1993—a name that wryly referenced the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion—and to cut a self-titled cassette-only set inside Davis' residence. The British Chocolate Monk imprint first released that recording, while Drunken Fish later issued select tracks domestically as the 1994 7" EP Walk Thru This World with the Folk Implosion. The band then joined the Communion roster and completed the 1994 mini-album Take a Look Inside the Folk Implosion, followed in 1995 by the more experimental, import-only Electric Idiot EP.
The same year brought an invitation for Barlow and Davis to score Kids. Over half the songs on the resulting soundtrack came from the Folk Implosion, with one additional contribution credited to the Deluxx Folk Implosion, the occasional variant that enlisted Deluxx members Bob Fay (also of Sebadoh) and Mark Perretta. The film's unflinching depiction of New York teenage street life generated substantial debate, and the attendant publicity helped "Natural One" gain traction at alternative radio. The track's sinuous bass line and drum-machine pulse stood apart from anything either musician had previously produced; it climbed to number 29 on the Billboard pop chart in early 1996, allowing Davis to leave his librarian position. London Records, which had issued the soundtrack, sought to sign the group outright, yet Barlow and Davis preferred to remain with Communion and test whether further success could be achieved independently. Their next album, Dare to Be Surprised, took shape gradually across a year—partly because of Barlow's Sebadoh obligations—and appeared in 1997. The eight-track effort blended off-kilter pop with electronic textures and earned strong critical notices without producing another hit single. Later reconsidering, the Folk Implosion signed with Interscope and delivered the polished One Part Lullaby in 1999.
Davis departed shortly after that album's release, prompting Barlow to recruit latter-day Sebadoh drummer Russ Pollard and guitarist Imaad Wasif. This configuration issued The New Folk Implosion on Domino Records in 2003 and appeared as a rock band in the film Laurel Canyon before entering an extended hiatus.
Barlow and Davis resumed the Folk Implosion in 2021 with a small live performance and plans for new songs. That year they unveiled an expanded edition of Walk Thru This World; the following year they introduced fresh material via the Feel It If You Feel It EP. While preparing additional recordings, they also revisited earlier catalog items, culminating in 2023's Music for KIDS, a compilation of all their 1995 film contributions, several previously unreleased. The 2024 full-length Walk Thru Me arrived with production assistance from Scott Solter—previously associated with St. Vincent, Spoon, and others—and incorporated Davis' interest in traditional Middle Eastern instruments through the addition of oud and tombak.
Albums
