For almost 15 years, Boyracer have existed around the singular pop visions of Stewart Anderson. Armed with a fuzzbox and a carefree revolving door line up, (of nearly 40 members past and present!), Boyracer have been transatlantically crafting their buzzsaw assault, shaving seconds off already manic slithers of melodic adrenaline punkpop though sweaty live shows and an exhaustive completist's nightmare discography.Noted recordings on indie-cred labels such as Sarah Records and Slumberland have cemented Boyracer's place in global indiedom as influential stalwarts of the genre.

 

Well, it should come to no surprise to anyone reading this that I think this record is absolutely fantastic! One of my all-time favorite bands, Boyracer have been putting out quality noise-pop records for over ten years, and this is certainly no exception to that rule! This is very similar to their last album, "To Get A Better Hold You've Got To Loosen Yr Grip", both in feel and sound. Like that record, most of the instruments are played by Stew and Jen (including the surprise appearance by piano in a couple songs!), but there are fewer other musicians on here; for example, Ara, who's been a member of the band since their comeback a few years ago, only appears on one track(which he co-wrote). The songs are still all around one or two minutes long, with lots of catchy melodies, speedy tempos and Stew's frequently spiteful lyrics, and there are many classics on here, including "The Warmest Hours", "Where To Place Your Trust?", "Christopher" and the super-short "I Thought Even More Of You When You Told Me You Wanted Me Dead". Only one cover this time around: a version of "The Others' Way", which actually already appeared on the "Acoustically Yours" cassette last year. A fine band in top form! (http://www.indiepages.com)

Boyracer's punk (in

Boyracer's punk (in manner and attitude, not style) approach to catchy, melodic pop is as fresh on their new album Happenstance as it ever was. The Boyracer discography is deep, but their recent releases, like their great last album To Get a Better Hold You've Got To Loosen Yr Grip, have sounded particularly streamlined and energetic. Happenstance is no exception - from the opening razor-sharp guitar riffs that turn into clouds of fuzz, through to the typically feedback-soaked ending. 'Anyone can pick up a guitar and play' is their ethos, yet Stewart Anderson, who stands at the center of Boyracer, has a supreme gift at melody to match his ragged individualism. He has an awkwardly beautiful singing voice, matched nicely in places with backing vocals from the band's other central member Jen Turrell. Every super-catchy song holds within its tune a heart and a sincere rebelliousness - Boyracer's both bitter and hopeful, pissed-off and romantic. The songs are smothered in brillant feedback much of the time, though here and there the noise vanishes to spotlight how pretty the melodies and words can be ("The Moment" is a gem), or things slow down with gentle piano. 23 songs in 37 minutes is how they do it. "Don't lose your ideals!", they proclaim in one song, and I'm glad they haven't. Happenstance is right up there with their most consistent records, pretty and punk through and through. (http://www.erasingclouds.com)