With a reputation for scathingly intense live performances, Explosions in the Sky were touted early on in their career as the next phenomenon in moody, dynamic instrumental indie rock à la Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. They became one of the genre's most commercially successful bands; they were featured in numerous films, television series, and video games, and scored several motion pictures. Even without words, the group's atmospheric guitar interplay was powerfully eloquent, and the interplay between guitars and drums gave even their simplest songs a keen sense of drama.