Boxer The Horse

These boys are fresh and hold lots of potential. Would You Please is fun to listen to, and the band's honest sound is a fresh addition to the indie rock scene. Contrary to the title of their first track, I'm finding it hard to see any "Bad Apples" in this bunch. - McGill Tribune

"they have the makings, the songs and ideas of a fantastic and captivating rock band." - Americana UK (United Kingdom)

". . .the tight orchestration and sound remains indie-modern and not too reverent to the past. Slightly awkward and gawky, but always endearing." - The Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

"They’ve folded the Davies brothers’ landmark sound into a modern indie rock beast that shifts into Pavement pop on tracks like Pot Valiant and Adderall-infused Velvet Underground the rest of the time." - NOW Magazine (Toronto, Ontario)

"Their songs, led by a good pairing of piano and bass as the frontrunners to Gaudet's vocals, are spunky, with a hint of snark. The songs usually introduce a scene with detailed characters, but let them run amok, often being a bit mysterious or just plain up-front." - EXCLAIM!

"These guys are way too young (barely into university) to be creating music that's this engaging." - CHARTattack

"highly melodic, instantly lovable pop/rock…over time the tunes have a strange way of permanently sticking with you." - Baby Sue Magazine (Tennessee, USA)

"it's got eleven tracks that could still measure up to the output of pretty much any other band out there." - iHeartmusic

"…has quickly earned a regional reputation for its tight, spunky pop songs delivered with classic rock flair. But with Would You Please, released last month, the band is getting national attention for the first time. Presently, the record sits at number 11 on the national college campus chart, ahead of The Sadies and behind The Roots." - The Coast

Hailing from Charlottetown, PEI and already receiving accolades for their debut ep, The Late Show, Boxer the Horse is a name with which you might want to make yourself familiar sooner than later.

Simply put, with its six diverse tracks The Late Show exhibits more potential and vivacious know-how than most bands can fathom. Sure, there are comparisons to be made—The Kinks and Bob Dylan come to mind immediately for me—but that’s not to say Boxer the Horse are lacking originality. In fact, any influences are clearly just a jumping off point, as The Late Show never pigeonholes itself in one style.

Bouncy and infectious at points (“Jackson Leftfield”) while low-key and serene at others (“Lenny Was a Moonshiner”), this is an EP that never stagnates. Of course, more importantly than my useless ramblings, The Late Show is a damn fun release that easily lends itself to being repeated ad nauseam. The sheer cocksure exuberance of “Snowflake” is easily the best example of this (“If I was the very best I’d never shave my hairy chest. I’d make you turn and look the other way.”)—not to mention a song you’ll have stuck in your head immediately. “Ohio” continues this effervescent trend with its Dylan-esque (at least for the middle third) wordplay and twangy romp, ending the EP on a high note with undeniabely fun gang vocals.

Needless to say, Boxer the Horse have just become a band with high billing on my radar, and one I recommend that you check out as well. - Wolves, Hawks, and Kites

Boxer the Horse is a band out of Charlottletown, Prince Edward Island, the smallest province in Canada. They are also very young with the majority of the band under 20 years, since I’ve turned 20 recently, this makes me feel old with my limited musical ability. Apparently, Boxer the Horse originates from Animal Farm, a book by George Orwell (the one who wrote the excellent 1984), which I must now borrow from the library to kill some time in my current state.

Described by their promoter as indie pop, doesn’t quite do it justice for Boxer the Horse. It was hard to put my finger on it but Boxer the Horse stands out among many other bands in the folk rock/indie pop genre where there are many bands trying their trade. BTH is actually much more subtle then I was led to believe and they do display some pop-elements especially with the use of a keyboard but they don’t take it overboard. They don’t mind staying in the outfield on “Jackson Leftfield” as I find myself searching for the meaning and trying to understand every message that Jeremy Gaudet spews.

Quite enjoyable EP, it doesn’t give me much to say quite yet but Boxer the Horse combines elements from all over the scope and they’ve made a debut that displays their immense talent but they seem to have a sense of themselves and they don’t overdo it in the least.

With the world ahead of them, Boxer the Horse could become one of Canada’s next big things and I’ll at least keep track of their releases as they won me over with their EP.

I’m going to stop giving out scores for an EP but I would recommend Boxer the Horse as a band that combines elements of pop rock with folk rock but does it with their own unique flare. - AWmusic

Boxer The Horse are an instantly likeable band from Charlottetown, P.E.I. who released their debut EP The Late Show several months ago. There's something about that East Coast brand of swinging jangle pop that never seems to get old to me. The EP opens with Boneyard, a slice of 60's styled Brit invasion influenced pop with a chorus that is way too catchy to resist. Jeremy Gaudet's vocals scream Ray Davies, while the thump of the rhythm section reminds me of The Turtles or The Lovin' Spoonful. Jackson Leftfield opens with infectious harmonica and a slightly new wavy keyboard and Rocknroll Band has campy sixties sitcom written all over it. The band shows quite a bit of lyrical whimsy and musical depth in Lenny Was A Moonshiner and Snowflake; while Ohio! caps off the ep nicely, delving into a mildly Dylan-esque vibe, before sequeing into a modern day ragtime conclusion. The Late Show bears repeat listenings, as it never grows old and plays like an album by a band more seasoned than Boxer The Horse really should be at this early stage of the game. - It's Not The Band I Hate, It's Their Fans

The herohill/ihm show started with a bang, as Charlottetown's Boxer the Horse grab the interest of the crowd (including the fatty smart mouth's in the front) and used some terrific banter to really get the crowd excited. We've gushed about their EP before (see?), so getting to see the quartet in person was a great start to the night.

Side note - best reply to a smart ass heckler? Well, we might have heard it last night.
"We've only got 1 more."
"WHAT? WE WANT TO HEAR 8 MORE!"
"Well, you better get a time machine." Insert golf clap here. - Herohill

I will work harder. Those simple words were the identity of Orwell's classic character from Animal Farm and the namesake of this young band from PEI. While rock n' roll is said to be the voice of the working class and becoming a successful band takes an insane amount of thankless work, it's hard to imagine this poppy quintet plodding forward, blindly focused on completing their tasks, simply for the greater good of the common class.

No, instead of relying on muscular, rehashed riffs, the band seems determined to form their own sound and make a name for themselves and when you consider that the band is only about a year old and comes from a province known mostly for Anne of Green Gables, I think they are well on their way. In fact, the band sounds like they should have come from across the pond instead of the Confederation Bridge, but they don't misstep once on "The Late Show." There are struck with a sense of comfort when they start playing. While that could be said about most bands with heavy doses of synths, group vocals and a mix of acoustic and electric, but you never feel like the guys are aping what they think will sell.

And while it's easy to heap compliments and potential on a new band, there are a few things that make you think BtH might just have what it takes to become more than just another blogger fav. Sure they can force you out of your seats - Jackson Leftfield is infectious and the subtle grit of Rocknroll Band shows the band could at some point have the strength to play on a much bigger stage - but they can also control the crowd with a slow burner like Lenny was a Moonshiner or a sing along waiting to happen like Snowflake. They already have a collection of songs that lend themselves to a great set full of climaxes and cool downs, and they are only one EP in.

But what really makes the songs for me is the way elements are combined to make something new. Liberal use of harmonica, acoustic and electric is nothing new, but Boxer the Horse is able to escape the inevitable sounds-like comparisons (although Boneyard does sound like a mix of Franz and the Fab Four), even when they are using more traditional sounds (like the Dylan-y intro on Rocknroll band) which is quite remarkable for such a young band.

Basically, the six song EP is a terrific display of what is missing from Indie rock these days (at least on the East Coast). The twenty minutes fly by without giving you a chance to breath and shows incredible promise. Who knows? When it's all said and done, the revisionists might simply decree that, "Boxer was always right."

- Herohill

As Herohill has moved forward with their Great Canadian Mixtape Project, I've been wondering what they'll do when they reach Prince Edward Island. After all, it's the smallest province in Confederation, and with a population that's roughly on par with Sudbury, it doesn't seem like there'll be a goldmine of artists to choose from.

There will be some amazing bands, of course (which is a lot more than can be said for Sudbury). Two Hours Traffic immediately spring to mind. And after listening to The Late Show, I'd add Boxer The Horse to that list of bands who make the land of potatoes and Anne of Green Gables look pretty darn good.

Of course, like Two Hours Traffic, they hardly specialize in making music that's uniquely their own. Just as THT have strong echoes of Joel Plaskett and Sloan, Boxer The Horse bring to mind bands as varied as Franz Ferdinand, Wolf Parade and...some crazy amalgam of every '90s jangle-pop act that ever strummed an acoustic guitar over an electric one. But also like THT -- as demonstrated on a song like "Rock'n'Roll Band" -- Boxer are good at making those echoes sound great.

Even more importantly, they display ample evidence of the band being very close to having a sound that's all their own. Even as songs like "Boneyard" and the outstanding "Jackson Leftfield" recall Boxer's disparate influences, they also hint that the group has it in them to break out something completely and utterly unique. Couple that with the fact that Boxer The Horse sound good for where they are right now, and you have the makings of a debut EP worth checking out. - I (heart) music