What to make of a Shudder To Think reunion

What happened

Critically acclaimed ’90s punk band Shudder To Think, which broke up in 1998, have announced plans for a reunion tour. The band kicks off their tour on August 10 at the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore, and have a total of nine shows scheduled so far. (Billboard.com)

What the commentators said

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With so many bands reuniting these days, said Dan Gibson in the Idolator, the return of Shudder To Think “probably shocks no one.” But it “likely pleases some of you.” It was easy to see this one coming—especially after the band got together last February for an “appearance at a Barack Obama fundraiser.”

It’s about time they got back together, said Kenny Herzog in Spin.com. But even though we’ve had to wait 10 years for a Shudder To Think reunion, we’re just happy “they didn’t opt for a full-on siesta.” Now they can get back to delivering us their “delightfully bent, seductive rock.”

Shudder’s “idiosyncratic, art rock sensibilities” weren’t for everyone, said Jonathan Cohen in Billboard.com. They “rose to acclaim in the early ‘90s American hardcore scene thanks to the Dischord albums Funeral at the Movies and Get Your Goat.” But although those records gained Shudder quite a cult following, they were “commercially unsuccessful."