Boilerman - Doing Great 7"

86'd / All In Vinyl (2015)

This 7" sort got lost in the shuffle with some other records sent to me for review.  It may sound silly, but my record piles still feel pretty disheveled since my Japan trip.  It sort of feels like I'll never be able to catch up.  I will try however, so today let's talk about this Boilerman 7".

I've reviewed two other Boilerman releases, though this 7" seems to be older than the other two.  I've said a few times that Boilerman is a band that's trying to mask their catchy hooks in some fuzzy yelling.  The three songs on this 7" are much more straightforward and I may actually like them the most of anything I've heard from the band.

Sure, things get a little crazy about halfway through "Doing Great," but that's only after the band has established a nice little guitar riff into palm mute verse with vocals that reming me a bit of middle era Plow United.  "We're The Worst" is a crunchy blast of guitars and even their Warren Zevon cover of "The Factory" hits all the right notes.  Boilerman are a consistently good band to check out, especially if you're in the mood for something a little louder.

Boilerman - Doing Great 7":

https://86drec.bandcamp.com/album/doing-great

Boilerman - Feel Ways About Stuff LP

86'd / All In Vinyl / Sad Punk / Waterslide (2016)

I've been lucky enough to have some familiarity with Boilerman prior to this album, though that's 100% because of this website and kind folks providing me with their records.  I'm appreciative of it, because I don't really think I would have given Boilerman much attention if left to my own devices.

Here's the thing with Boilerman, they're a really catchy band masquerading as a hardcore band.  If you casually jump through the songs on this record, you're mostly just going to hear loud, fast guitars and a singer with strep throat shouting incoherently.  However, if you really spend some time listening to everything you'll see the way the riffs are laid out and how the hooks are packed in just below the chaos.  They always remind me a little bit of the sort of things you'd find on Lookout during their early, more adventurous days.

I always feel like Boilerman is right on the cusp of being the sort of band that's right up my alley.  If they could just put the hooks a little closer to the surface, we'd be in business.  Still, Feel Ways About Stuff is definitely worth checking out, particular if you're more into hardcore-ish stuff than I am.

Boilerman - Feel Ways About Stuff:

Boilerman - S/T 10" - Clear Vinyl (/500)

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86'd / Waterslide / Crapoulet (2015)

I've let the review copies of records pile up over here a little bit lately.  Not that it's a very large pile or anything and it's actually extremely helpful as they give me something to write about during these lean summer times.  So, I guess what I'm saying is that if you've ever considered sending me something to review, now is a pretty good time to do that.

Back to the point, this self titled Boilerman 10" arrived in the mail recently and I was pretty excited about it.  They're a band that I had heard a little bit about so they were already on my radar, at least peripherally.  The 10" itself is a mixed bag for me.  It's pretty punk rock with razor blades guitars and pounding drums.  The vocals can get a little too shouty at times for my personal taste, but when the band is hitting that sweet spot, everything comes together nicely.

In particular, I prefer the poppier songs on this 10" like "II" and "Weak Weak." I'm less enthusiastic about the harsher, angrier ones like bookends "I" and "VI."  In general, it's a pretty fun little one sided 10".  The songs are short and fast and have moments of being pretty good.  I'd likely look into their next release, especially if someone had the kind heart to send it my way to review.

Boilerman - S/T 10":

https://86drec.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-one-sided-10