The culmination of unapologetic youthfulness, boys cruise storm into your ears with a sense of urgency on their unkempt yet accessible self titled record. Hailing from the very active music scene surrounding the University of Vermont, Boys Cruise consist of two members of the noise-punk group, Pons, a group who I am no stranger to, having covered them in the past on this very site. On their self titled release, boys cruise create songs that have more accessibility than I would have expected. The genre boys cruise, Vermont’s premier boy band, are going for throughout their latest record is self described as Snow Pop. Is this the future of music? Who knows. From what I gather, ‘Snow Pop’ has roots in jangle-pop while maintaining garage rock sensibilities. The result is catchy hooks throughout that still maintain elements of unpredictability that will keep listeners engaged throughout.
Throughout their self titled, many themes seem to somewhat reoccur, there are general themes of acceptance from various types of people ranging from a past significant other, friends, and parents seem to create a sense of anxiety throughout the course of the record on songs like ‘NATE’ and ‘eyes without face’. Loneliness also seeps through the floorboards as we see boys cruise paint a picture of desolation throughout the record, with tracks like ‘Fool’s Gold’. Most of the songs, by way of lyricism and performance, seem to be wrapped up in this sense of anxiety and internal struggle, things that I and various others can resonate with throughout. boys cruise are able to write tracks about these things not only with ease, but with a different angle than what most bands who write similar songs are doing. On one hand these are slacker anthems, but on the other hand, it feels like we are listening to someone truly figuring out what they are currently going through in their own personal minds, which is a certain openness people enjoy witnessing in music.
boys cruise are able to capture a sense of uncertainty throughout this record with their abrupt outbursts and musical changes. Recorded in a very lo-fi manner, I don’t think this record would have the same charm if it were done in a polished manner. The garage recording atmosphere makes the guitar hooks feel that much sweeter, and puts a bow on this record that cannot be taken off. Musical highlights for me include ‘NATE’, a song that feels like it was written for a sitcom that exists in an entirely different dimension. Even though this song clocks in just above 2 minutes, I had so much fun with this one and its unapologetic nature, along with guitar hooks that make me feel like I’m listening to a song at the corner of Skate Punk Avenue and Surf Pop Drive. The yelling of the ‘ooohs’ leading up to the chorus also brings a certain brightness to my face. Picking a second song to highlight is difficult, because as far as quality goes, this whole record could get listed here. For the sake of easiness, I am going to highlight ‘Fools Gold’, mostly because I enjoy its catchy nature throughout, the melody throughout and the guitar hooks make it a song that roots in my consciousness. Overall, I love the direction boys cruise are able to take on this record, giving people something that they feel comfortable with, while still making music to mosh too at the same time can be a hard feat, but these guys make it look easy.
boys cruise new self titled album feels like the culmination of many deep thought sessions while still maintaining a certain light hearted charm throughout. I’m not sure many bands will be adopting the ‘Snow Pop’ genre anytime soon, mainly because they fear being pegged as an imitator of boys cruise. It’s the type of album that feels like it should gain a bit of a cult following in the coming years, and I really hope it does, as seeing these musicians live has been on the top of my list for quite some time now.
Favorite tracks: NATE, Fools Gold, Crustacean
Least Favorite Track: Room For Reason
Overall: 7.7/10
Listen to 'Fools Gold' by boys cruise off of their self-titled album, below: