Shudder to Think | |
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 Shudder to Think in 1996. L–R: Craig Wedren, Nathan Larson, Kevin March, and Stuart Hill | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Members | Craig Wedren Nathan Larson Adam Wade Jherek Bischoff Clint Walsh |
| Past members | Stuart Hill Chris Matthews Mike Russell Kevin March Mark Watrous Jesse Krakow |
| Website | shuddertothink.bandcamp.com |
Shudder to Think is an Americanalternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on theWashington, D.C.–based labelDischord Records, and two onEpic Records. Their early work was largely influenced bypost-hardcore although they gradually drew upon a wide range of stylistic influences, includingpower pop andglam rock.
In 1984, bassist Stuart Hill formed thehardcore punk band Stüge, recruiting drummer Mike Russell, alongside guitarist Sam Fleming and vocalist Bobby Jones. By 1986, Fleming and Jones left for college, with Hill inviting guitarist Chris Matthews, who had been playing innew wave group 3-2-1, to join the band. Matthews in turn suggested vocalist Craig Wedren, a high school acquaintance, after seeing him perform at a school play and being impressed by his singing. Shortly after, the band changed its name to Shudder to Think, after Russell said that he “shuddered to think that we would be just another hardcore band” during a drive to practice. It was this lineup and name change that drove the band to abandon its previous hardcore influenced sound to something more akin topost-hardcore.[2]
In this incarnation, the band released one song on the Fetal Records compilation F-R-5 in 1987 ("Too little, too late"), two singles and one album (Curse, Spells, Voodoo, Mooses, 1989) before being signed by the Dischord label. Three albums were then released (Ten-Spot, 1990,Funeral at the Movies, 1991, andGet Your Goat, 1992), before the band gained greater exposure by touring withFugazi andSmashing Pumpkins; with their May 7, 1992, show inAlbig, Germany being released by Tobby Holzinger asYour Choice Live Series Vol.21.[3]
Swiz ex-bassistNathan Larson and ex-Jawbox drummer Adam Wade replaced Matthews and Russell in 1992 on guitar and drums respectively. Matthews and Russell last performed live with the band on January 1, 1992,[4] and June 28, 1992,[5] respectively, as announced by Wedren to the crowd during those concerts.
The band subsequently signed toEpic, with whomPony Express Record was released in September 1994. The album's angular, mathematicalpost-hardcore earned it a devotedcult following – especially after the video for the track "X-French Tee Shirt" became a buzz clip onMTV and was regularly aired on the channel, as well as an article inRolling Stone. The track also peaked at #36 on theRadio and Records Alternative chart.[6] The album had sold 30,000 copies in the United States by the end of October 1994,[7] and by February 1997 had sold 60,000 copies.[8]
Over the next few years, Wedren successfully battledHodgkin's Disease, Larson recorded an album with side project band Mind Science of the Mind, and Wade left the group. He was replaced byKevin March, formerly drummer withDambuilders.
They released another album,50,000 B.C. in 1997, touring in support of it with March on drums, and touring member Chuck Scott on keyboards and percussion.[9] The album was released to mixed reviews and was a commercial flop.[10] It was after this that the band pivoted to writing soundtracks for films, composing the soundtracks toFirst Love, Last Rites,High Art, and providing two songs for the filmVelvet Goldmine in 1998.
However, 1998 marked Larson's departure and the end of the group. Wedren has pursued a solo career, including an appearance on theDown to You soundtrack with "Didn't Mean to Do You Harm", and contributed backing vocals toVerve Pipe's 1999eponymous album.
Both Larson and Wedren have gone on to create highly regarded music for films.David Wain, founder of comedy troupeThe State, was a high-school friend of Wedren's, and Wedren's music has appeared in many television series and films stemming from the troupe and its alumni, such asReno 911! andWet Hot American Summer. Wedren also makes solo music, and released his debut album,Lapland, in 2005. Larson has formed a new band calledHot One.
Shudder to Think reunited on September 17, 2007, when Craig Wedren, Nathan Larson, and Kevin March performed a short set at The Mercury Lounge inNew York City, joined by guitarist Mark Watrous andTime of Orchids bassistJesse Krakow.[11] The group continued performing through 2008 with Watrous and Krakow, with March playing eastern U.S. shows and Adam Wade handling the western dates, including a stop inNew Orleans.
A live album,Live from Home, followed in 2009, documenting performances from that reunion period. Later that year, the band—without Larson—played a farewell show at theBowery Ballroom in New York City, where founding guitarist Chris Matthews joined for the encore.[12][13]
The band reunited again in 2013 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of theBlack Cat in Washington, D.C., performing with the Pony Express Record lineup—Wedren, Larson, Wade, and Stuart Hill—joined by founding members Matthews and Mike Russell for the encore. After more than a decade away, Shudder to Think returned in 2025, performing two shows at Los Angeles’ Permanent Records Roadhouse and debuting the new song “Playback.”[14] The band has remained active since, touring intermittently and releasing the 7″ single “Thirst Walk” onDischord Records in November 2025.[15]
Shudder to Think has been listed as an influence by other bands –Incubus went as far as covering part of "X-French Tee Shirt" in their song "Nowhere Fast" duringLollapalooza in 2003.[16]Jeff Buckley also listed Shudder to Think as a favorite band of his.[17] In 1998Pearl Jam invited Shudder to Think to open for them on a tour of Australia and even played a snippet of the Shudder song "Pebbles" during their set.[18]Deftones have cited Shudder to Think as an influence[19] and have even covered bits of "X-French Tee Shirt"[20] and "So Into You" at live shows.Cursive mentions the band in their song "Sink to the Beat" off their EP,Burst and Bloom.Sunny Day Real Estate andBraid have also cited the band as an influence.[21][22][23]
OK Go frontmanDamian Kulash has expressed admiration for Shudder to Think, stating "I worshipped them. There was one year I saw them twelve times."[24] Kulash has specifically noted the band's impact on his music:
"Shudder To Think: They taught me a certain sense of intentional rock. Their music was decidedly counter-intuitive. It was weird, especiallyGet Your Goat andPony Express Record. It was music that refused to resolve something you already knew and was really beautiful and melodic and emotional. (...) Shudder made music unlike anything else you ever heard and was still poppy and beautiful and accessible. I think it convinced me that there’s space for music to be interesting and challenging while still beautiful."[25]
Shudder to Think, often classified as apost-hardcore band,[26] emerged from Washington, D.C.’shardcore punk scene through their early affiliation withDischord.[27] While rooted in punk, the band quickly developed a distinctive sound that fused angular rhythms with melodic pop sensibilities and art-rock experimentation. AllMusic described their approach as blending “pop influences and a skewed sense of songwriting.”[27]
Critic Charles Spano noted that the group “skewed their pop brilliance withRic Ocasek grooves, aBowie- andRoxy Music-inspiredglam bent, and the theatrics ofQueen.”[28]
In the 2018 bookLong Live Queen, DJ and VJMatt Pinfield cited Shudder to Think’s “X-French Tee Shirt” as an example of the band’s bold originality, describing it as “such a great song, because [the middle part] was one note, and he was singing two octaves over that.”[29]
James Iha ofThe Smashing Pumpkins also praised the band’s uniqueness, stating in 1995:
“Shudder to Think, I think, is a wholly original, amazing rock band. They’re a rock band but they’re totally different than what you’ve heard before... They write good songs. They’re totally original.”[30]
Current members
Former members
When we started out as a band a huge influence on us was really anything from Dischord. SHUDDER TO THINK specifically
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