BIO
THE BOAT PEOPLE BIOAus indie pop maestros The Boat People made a foray onto the world stage in 2008 to a hailstorm of critical acclaim for their live shows and sophomore album Chandeliers (see reviews on following pages).
They played The Great Escape UK, CMJ Music Marathon NYC, toured the UK twice, shows in LA including the Viper Room, Spaceland and a live set on Morning Becomes Eclectic KCRW, won a CMJ grand prize, and gained rotation at over 20 radio stations across the US. In 2009 they return to the US for their debut appearance at SXSW and further touring.
Great Escape/Barfly Group
“They make the catchy, melancholic retro-pop that has won The Shins the affection of the world’s indie lovers. Sometimes they resemble an amped up Elliott Smith, or an angrier Brendan Benson; either way they are an intriguing proposition”.
8/10 for Chandeliers – John Earls Planet Sounds top 50 albums of 2008
“Not since The Shins – who they’ve supported – has a band come along to make jangly pop with such élan. Matching The Decemberists for lyrical drollness, and with a subtly spiky edge to elegant vocals, you’d call it mature pop if it wasn’t as lively as anything modernistic.”
Uncut 4 stars – Chandliers review
“It gets stronger and more addictive the more you play it, and charmingly insists that you discover that fact.”
Management Contact: Rick Chazan Artist Management ideasm@bigpond.net.au
Myspace: www.myspace.com/theboatpeople
AUSTRALIAN REVIEWS - CHANDELIERS
MESS AND NOISE “A genuinely great Australian pop album….superb mature pop music, as good as anything you will hear in this genre this year. International recognition beckons”.
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD – 4 STARS “This is a second album carefully balanced between the sheer pleasure of pop music and the wit of smart song writing. Chandeliers songs have a casual elegance and a droll eye but they are subordinate to what feels like real emotion, meaty playing and tunes that constantly entertain. The Boat People are the real deal”. (Bernard Zuel)
COURIER MAIL – 4 STARS
TIME OFF – 4.5 STARS (ALBUM OF THE WEEK) “They have completely perfected the art of penning flawless, jangly, guitar pop for the thinking man.”
RAVE – 4.5 STARS (ALBUM OF THE WEEK) “Is this a great album from The Boaties? Yesyesyesyesyes!“
THE BRAG – INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
INPRESS “Eleven blindly brilliant pop songs……the album is a triumph for a band whose time and greater recognition are finally due.”
WHO WEEKLY – 4 STARS
4ZZZ – FEATURE ALBUM OF THE WEEK
3PBS – ALBUM OF THE WEEK
POLAROIDS OF ANDROIDS - 8.1/10 “Chandeliers is an undeniably brilliant, rich and honest pop record. Every inch of catchiness is matched and even occasionally exceeded by a clever lyric or a fitting guitar riff. Every cute and bright coloured flash is contrasted by a bittersweet poetic sentence or sharp tempo change. The Boat People are not only cleverer than the average 'indie pop' group but are also a lot more consistent. Each song carries it's own weight, yet at the same time this album feels like a single body of work. To be so pop-focused and still give off such a strong feeling of artistic freedom is extremely rare.”
3D – 9/10 “Brisbane pop quartet The Boat People have combined lyrical sophistication with a profoundly upbeat sound to deliver a stunning sophomore album.”
UK REVIEWS - CHANDELIERS
PLANET SOUND TOP 50 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 8/10 – JOHN EARLS Hurrah! A new band to follow Crowded House and The Go-Betweens for sumptuous Australian melancholia. Not since The Shins - who they've supported - has a band come along to make jangly pop with such elan. Matching The Decemberists for lyrical drollness, and with a subtly spiky edge to James O'Brien's elegant vocals, you'd call it mature pop if it wasn't as lively as anything modernistic.
NME 7/10 “there’s some really nice art-pop echos of the Cars and The Shins going on, and the more time you spend on it the more interesting it gets.”
UNCUT 4 STARS “It gets stronger and more addictive the more you play it, and charmingly insists that you discover that fact.”
Pennyblackmusic.co.uk With beautiful melodies and uplifting tunes the Boat People have a real knack for writing tunes and lyrics. They strike that perfect balance of creating both joyous tunes and perfectly crafted songs. The Boat People are a band for fans of current indie favourites such as Death Cab For Cutie, the Shins and Los Campesinos. They are the sort of band that embrace the poppier elements of music with fantastic credibility.
Subba-culture.com How to raise a country's musical reputation in one easy step. The list of Australia's most famous musical exports doesn't exactly make the most pleasant of viewing: Kylie, Men at Work, er... Holly Valance? It's not great. So when a band comes along that rights a nation's worth of wrongs then they should be praised wholeheartedly not just for their own brilliance, but their brilliance in the face of terrible odds. With second album, 'Chandeliers', Aussie four-piece The Boat People have conjured up something pretty gorgeous. 'Unsettle My Heart' recalls Stephen Malkmus at his finest, managing to be both sparing at points and intensely layered at others, while tracks such as opener 'Awkward Orchid Orchard' and 'Babysnake' are all Brendan Benson-esque soaring melodies but with a whole heap of issues bubbling under the sunny surface. Genius throughout. Here's hoping the boat sails to British shores in the not so distant future.
new-noise.net They really do have a winning way with a tune that resembles Grand Prix-era Teenage Fanclub at their sunshiny brightest. Pure pop that lifts you up by the heart strings and gives you a great big kiss on the lips and a playful smack on the bum.
gigwise.com 4 STARS A touch of sunshine and a heavy dose of the 60’s have clearly gone into the making of ‘Chandeliers’, the second album by Aussie band The Boat People. Riding on the back of the glossy pop of The Shins and their ilk, 'Chandeliers' is the perfect relaxed pop album. Free of mass production, the home grown song writing and loving touches put into their work is undoubtedly the reason why The Boat People draw comparisons with that other great Antipodean band, Crowded House. For your moods and for your heating bill, this winter warmer is strongly suggested.
www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=5904 8/10 “they release their second album 'Chandeliers' on the back of a critically-acclaimed Great Escape Festival appearance and a string of UK dates which have had their name bandied around in all the right circles. All well and good, of course, but this reviewer has frequently been in a position where he's ended up feeling underwhelmed by a hotly-tipped item. Thankfully, though, 'Chandeliers' suggests that not only are The Boat People are welcome (temporary?) refugees on European shores, but that they are capable of wringing fresh energy out of indie rock's flagging constitution. The Boat People, then, are an inventive and intelligent crew. This writer has personally felt somewhat short-changed by the much-hyped cerebral pop pretenders such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Broken Social Scene in recent times, but in this case the tunes, energy and emotional depth keep pace with the quirks. 'Chandelier' hangs brightly and casts a very favourable glow indeed.
US REVIEWS – CHANDELIERS
FIRE DRILLS songs that are just plain good ol' indie pop full of melodies and lyrical charm. Based on the strength of Chandeliers I don't see this remaining unreleased in the US much longer.
SURVIVING THE GOLDEN AGE 8.3/10 The In the end, the Boat People are a great pop group, no wonder they've slowly been getting more and more acclaim world wide. Chandeliers is just an easily digestible pop album with very few pitfalls.
BABYSUE.COM 5 STARS When Australia's The Boat People hit the target, they really hit it dead center. These guys create subtle, moody, provocative smart pop that is surprisingly resilient and memorable."
CONTACTS AUS CONTACTS
Management Rick Chazan Artist Management ideasm@bigpond.net.au
P: 61 7 3870 5533
M: + 61 (0)412 721 417
Australian Bookings Dorry Kartobani - Harbour Agency dorryk@harbouragency.com
Publisher Mushroom/IvyLeague
Ian James – Mushroom Music ianj@mushroommusic.com.au
Andy Cassell – Ivy League andyc@wgman.com
US CONTACTS
US Co-Management Paul Brown – Red Hat 22 redhatt22@mac.com
US Co-Publisher Scott Cresto - Chrysalis scottC@chysalismusic.com
US Lawyer Todd Cooper – GT Law coopert@gtlaw.com
Worldwide Bookings (outside Australia) Ian Fintak - The Agency Group LA Office ianfintak@theagencygroup.com
UK CONTACTS
UK Promoter Lee Laborde - Live Nation lee.laborde@livenation.co.uk
UK Co- Publisher David O’Bryan – Chrysalis david.obryan@chrysalis.com
MYSPACE www.myspace.com/theboatpeople
WEBSITE www.theboatpeople.com.au
