Demolition Means Progress

I won’t speculate as to exactly which buildings this St. Paul band were thinking of when they chose their name, but their dryly peppy sound — think John Darnielle fronting the Byrds — will provide an apt soundtrack to any activity involving a wrecking ball you might have in mind. Conveniently, they’ve separated the album into a work-life balance: “side A is life, side B is work.” Well, a little less work if you’re not listening to vinyl. - The Current

The second album from Minnesota's Demolition Means Progress is due at the start of February, and looks set to see them taking the vintage sounds of '80s and '90s US indie bands and carrying the torch for a new generation. Previous single 'Stars' brought to mind Camper Van Beethoven and early REM, along with some of the crunchier groups that came about a few years later, and new single 'Put It All Behind Me' does similar but is perhaps even more effective.

There's a scuzzy jangle that borrows from C86 and the UK scene, but vocally this is more in line with someone like They Might Be Giants and is generally pretty jaunty and sharp. There's an energetic shuffle and a sharpness that prevents the song from sounding dated though, so while it may borrow from the past it's by no means musty or stale. 'Lovesongs For Saboteurs' is shaping up to be a nice collection of songs for those who like classic guitar-pop.

Article by KevW - The Sound Of Confusion

Demolition Means Progress has a very unique sound for themselves – they call their noise “jangle pop” which makes sense with the emphasis that they put into guitars. Jangle pop is known for it’s acoustic sounds with guitars and the feel of pop songs from the 1960’s era.

With that said, they each have the fun and outgoing attitude of little kids in a candy store when they got into the studio.

This past Friday, Demolition Means Progress released their second album, “Love Songs for Saboteurs”. The album covers the balance between life and work, with the double sided disk having side A dedicated to songs about life and side B featuring songs about work experience. Because there are 11 songs on the album, it turns out that life took over, but if you look a little harder, the length of each side is right about the same. Demolition Means Progress typically writes about things they know and have experience on based on their own lives. For example, the name of the group itself was created by BJ Bonin, one of the lead guitarists.

“I saw it watching a PBS documentary on Detroit. How they were tearing down all of these factories and all of the demolition sites had these signs that said, “Demolition Means Progress”.

Before they were known as Demolition Means Progress, two of the group members were known by a different title. That quickly went south when five other bands across the country had the same name.

Since then, Michelle, another guitarist, has been the most recent addition to the group and the men love hearing her creative ideas on how to change the sound and all over feel of the band.

“Since Michelle joined, we have sounded a lot more like we had always hoped to sound.” What she is able to add with her vocals just added to the sound this group had been striving for all these years.

When the name Demolition Means Progress came up, Michelle brought up the concept that more modern ideals are focusing on; “Stop tearing good things down, it doesn’t always mean progress.” So there might be some irony involved behind this name. Later, she also stated, “But in life, with relationships, sometimes things just need to blow up for you to move forward: Demolition Means Progress.” - The University Chronicle

Demolition Means Progress is BJ, Mike M, and Grant M. Their latest EP “Destroy as Directed” is available from Go Forth Records or through your favorite digital vendor. The album features original compositions and additional musicians as noted, as well as Dawn S, Amy W, and Cynthia F-D. The band have recorded, produced, and mixed the Ep themselves, with help from George L. and Dawn S. BJ Bonin and Mike McCloskey became Demolition Means Progress in late 2011.

This is a great Ep, a great band, a great set of songs. I first started liking the Demolition Means Progress when I was listening to Spotify radio, and “Last Car” really stuck out to me. I thought it was beautiful, clean-sounding, and unique.

The Ep “Destroy as Directed” launches into the high energy, “Pretender”, then it goes into the REM-ish “Face Up” and the similar sounding “Indifferent”. All the songs are elegant and well-crafted, with bright, spacious, jangly guitars reminiscent of The Pixies.

Demolition Means Progress makes you realize that great indie rock music can still be made, and great indie rock bands can still defy boundaries without going over the top. The revelation didn’t come to me immediately; it had to sink in to be fully appreciated. Sometimes, DMP gets under your skin with soothing melodies, then next thing you know, they stab you in the stomach with high energy rhythms.

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To put it simply, there isn’t a single filler track on the Ep. Every song sounds impressive different and fully fleshed out. The melodies are memorable and captivating, the songwriting is solid, and the lyrics are warm. If you love alternative or indie rock, or anything with great melody and energy, this is a must-have.

“Destroy as Directed” allows the listener to join in the emotions of real life situations, the disappointments, and the struggle to find love and happiness, the laughable situations, and the rare occurrences when we are at peace with ourselves. I find it to be one of the sources in which you can reflect with you own personal experiences and sometimes draw a conclusion, even if it’s not to our liking. Ranging from jangly guitars and fast paced tempos to meandering bass lines. Demolition Means Progress’ music commentates on most areas of human life.

What is particularly nice about this band is the range of sound they have. It’s not the same sound over and over again, a complaint you could make about many artists. There is a song for every mood. “Destroy as Directed” isn’t the kind of album that is made by trying to capitalize on current musical trends, it’s the kind that is made after going through a period of introspection and the will to make a statement! - Jamsphere

BJ Bonin and Mike McCloskey became Demolition Means Progress in late 2011, having toured together since 2000 (as The Underthings). Grant Martin joined in 2013 to complete the lineup, and they have an ongoing collaboration with Minneapolis cellist Amy Waller.

Their first EP “Destroy as Directed” features song topics ranging from politics to silly road trips to relationships, each with a different musical theme (punk, americana, rock). “Destroy as Directed” has been described as REM meets the Pixies, or Billy Bragg meets Sugar. Think Teenage Fanclub with a cellist, or Murder By Death with shoegaze pedals, the EP has garnered airplay on independent radio stations around the country.

Demolition Means Progress is currently recording their sophomore effort “Lovesongs for Saboteurs.” The LP features songs about work, debt, despair, and love with strong melodies and harmony, jangly guitar, bass chords, and some cello over layers of reverb that comes close to shoegaze without crossing that event horizon. - Insomnia Radio Daily Dose