Pacific Northwest indie pop legends Boat didn’t break up, but they did take their own sweet seven years between albums. But whatever the guys were doing during the hiatus (and much of it involved other worthy musical projects), they made time to ferment some very good Boat tunes for their new LP, Tread Lightly. It may sound like standard indie pop ingredients for us to list hooks, soaring choruses, harmonies, sweet melodies and fuzz. But just as a list of ingredients in a menu doesn’t guarantee a good dish, musical ingredients only get a band so far. What Boat brings to the party is heart, deft songwriting, wry observations about growing older (that resonate with at least some of us here), combined with long friendship, collaboration and trust. The result is music that is effervescent, euphoric, and irresistible. And for guys who sing about graying hair and other unwelcome aging discoveries, they muster more pep and snap than an teenage punk band angling for their first score.
We can only hope that the next album doesn’t take seven years. But in case it does, you better get this one while you can. It has turned our Friday-at-home into a boat party. We even have changed into board shorts.
Boat are Dave Krain (vocals/guitar/bass/piano/illustration), Jackson Long (drums/percussion/kesy/vocals/production/mixing), Josh Goodman (guitar/bass/keys/shouting), and Mark McKenzie (bass/guitar/vocals). Addition contributors on the album were Johnny Askew (keys/piano), Shelly Short (vocals on two tracks), Chris Ballew (intro and vocals on “Zombie State of Mind”), and Evan Mosher (horns). Tread Lightly is out now via Magic Marker Records.