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Semisonic | |
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 Semisonic performing in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pleasure (1993–1995) |
| Origin | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
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| Years active |
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| Members | |
| Website | semisonic |
| Logo | |
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Semisonic is an Americanrock band formed inMinneapolis in 1995, consisting ofDan Wilson (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards),John Munson (bass, keyboards, backing vocals, guitar), andJacob Slichter (drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals). They are best known in the U.S. for their 1998 top-20 single "Closing Time".
In 2025, Chad Childers ofLoudwire included the band in his list of "10 '90s Post-Grunge Bands That Should Have Been Bigger".[1]
After the breakup ofTrip Shakespeare, Wilson and Munson joined up with drummer Slichter to form the band Pleasure in 1993.[2] By 1995, they had changed their name to Semisonic. An EP,Pleasure, was released that year onBoston indie labelCherryDisc. Semisonic had signed arecord contract withElektra Records to record theGreat Divide album. During recording, Bob Krasnow, the president of Elektra Records had quit, and in the changeover to a new president, the label dropped Semisonic. The band then signed withMCA Records, and finished recording the album. The studio full-lengthGreat Divide was released in 1996 on MCA.
Semisonic's breakthrough came two years later in 1998 when their second album,Feeling Strangely Fine, reached the Top 50 chart on the strength of the hit single "Closing Time", their biggest hit in the United States. During a 2008 performance at Harvard's Sanders Theatre, Wilson said that it was originally written about the birth of his first child.
Their international career also blossomed when another song from the album, "Secret Smile", quickly became a UK radio favorite in the summer of 1999, eventually peaking at No. 12 on theUK Singles Chart.[3]
In early 2001, the band released its third album,All About Chemistry, The single "Chemistry" was a mainstay overseas; however the album did not fare as well in the United States. Another song, "Over My Head", was used in the 2001 teen flickSummer Catch, and Semisonic rode the wave touring various cities in and around the UK.
Wilson had spoken about doing more Semisonic music in the future but said, "The busy day-to-day life keeps pushing it further into the future."All About Chemistry would be their last studio release until reconvening for theYou're Not Alone EP which they put out in 2020.
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To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of their first album,Great Divide, the band reunited for a series of three shows in June 2017 – June 14 at a small club in St. Paul, and June 16–17 at First Avenue in Minneapolis. The band played Great Divide in its entirety.
In December 2017, the band played three more shows in the Twin Cities to commemorate the approaching 20th anniversary of their second album, Feeling Strangely Fine, performing the album in its entirety. In 2018, Feeling Strangely Fine was given a rerelease for the album's twentieth anniversary, including its first vinyl pressing. The anniversary edition included four songs not on the original album: "Long Way from Home", "I'm a Liar", "Beautiful Regret", and "Makin' a Plan".
In July 2019, Semisonic performed at Summerfest in Milwaukee and then at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis. During their 2017–2019 shows, the band performed some new, previously unreleased songs, including "Basement Tapes", "All It Would Take", and "You're Not Alone"
The band has been honored with a star on the outside mural of theMinneapolis nightclubFirst Avenue,[4] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[5] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis", according to journalist Steve Marsh.[6] Wilson and Munson's previous group,Trip Shakespeare, also has a star making them among the few musicians with multiple stars on the mural.
On June 26, 2020, Semisonic released the single "You're Not Alone", their first new material in 19 years,[7] and later released the fullYou're Not Alone EP on September 18, 2020.
On January 27 and 28, 2023, the band played two shows atFirst Avenue to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the shows’ sponsor, Twin Cities public radio station The Current.[8]
Semisonic supportedBarenaked Ladies from June 2, 2023 through June 26, 2023 on the Last Summer on Earth 2023 tour.[9]
In the summer of 2023, the band also began releasing singles from its upcoming album,Little Bit of Sun. On June 5, Semisonic released the singles “Little Bit of Sun” and “Grow Your Own.” [10] On August 1, another single, "The Rope,"[11] was released, along with a video[12] for the song made byPhil Harder. On September 12, the band released “Out of the Dirt,”[13] co-written byLori McKenna and featuringJason Isbell on guitar.
The full album of twelve songs,Little Bit of Sun, was released on November 3, 2023.[14]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [15] | AUS [16] | CAN [17] | IRL [18] | NZL [19] | UK [3] | |||
| Great Divide |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Feeling Strangely Fine |
| 43 | 66 | 55 | 53 | 17 | 16 | |
| All About Chemistry |
| 103 | — | — | 28 | — | 13 | |
| Little Bit of Sun |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Air. [23] | US Alt [24] | US Main [25] | US AAA [26] | AUS [16] | CAN [27] | IRL [18] | NLD [28] | NZL [19] | UK [29] | |||||
| "Down in Flames" | 1996 | — | — | 43[30] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Great Divide | ||
| "If I Run" | — | 38[31] | 25[32] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "F.N.T." | — | 35[33] | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Closing Time" | 1998 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 40 | 33 | 48 | 84 | 50 | 25 |
| Feeling Strangely Fine | |
| "Singing in My Sleep" | — | 11 | 31 | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | 39 | ||||
| "Secret Smile" | 1999 | — | 21 | — | 17 | — | 30 | 26 | — | — | 12 |
| ||
| "Chemistry" | 2001 | — | 39 | — | 6 | — | — | 39 | 84 | 21 | 35 | All About Chemistry | ||
| "Get a Grip" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 109 | ||||
| "You're Not Alone" | 2020 | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | You're Not Alone EP | ||
| "Little Bit of Sun"/"Grow Your Own" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Little Bit of Sun | ||
| "The Rope" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Out of the Dirt" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart, or were not released in this territory. | ||||||||||||||
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Wilson took time out to do some solo projects and play tour dates around the Midwest in December. Munson joined Wilson's brother and former Trip Shakespeare frontman Matt Wilson to form a side project,The Flops, in 2001, though they were expected to make a final performance in early 2005. In 2009, John Munson and Matt Wilson reunited to form a new bandThe Twilight Hours. They have released two albums,Stereo Night (2009) andBlack Beauty (2016), and have been touring.
In 2004, Slichter's bookSo You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star was published, detailing some of the experiences the group had while touring and attempting to get airplay onradio stations across the US.[34]
In late spring of 2005, John Munson began playing in a new jazz trio,The New Standards, featuring Chan Poling ofThe Suburbs and Steve Roehm. This band plays new jazz renditions of "classic" songs.
In October 2007,Rick Rubin's labelAmerican Recordings released Wilson's solo album,Free Life, featuring collaborations with numerous artists including Munson and Slichter. The song "Cry" was the album's single.
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