Within the UK you couldn’t get much further away from the sea than the Midlands. The clue is kind of in the name, what with it being the middle of the land and all. So it is, perhaps, an odd thing to find a band so drenched in maritime themes as you will find in Boat to Row. Odd, but quite nice.

The nautical references are everywhere. Not just in the band name, but the title of their forthcoming EP, A Boat to Row, to Row, to You, along with the featured songs and their gentle sea shanty feel. Watery themed track names include the title track and “Portland Bill”. But throughout the four songs there is much talk of boats, shores and oceans.

All at Sea:

Of course, the marine themes are, in general, metaphors for the thoughts and feelings the band want to communicate. There’s no “What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor”, “The Leaving of Liverpool” or even “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” to be found.

Love is a big theme here with songs about winning hearts (“A Boat to Row…”) and the fear of being unloved (“114 Miles”). But there is also a more general theme about yearning for freedom and making the most of your life.

It’s all about being “sick of the commute and the routine” (“Portland Bill”) and learning to cope with the “rough sea getting rougher and tougher” (St. Wallis”), of going through life “without a care (“St Wallis” again) and how being “anchored must be the saddest case of being” (“A Boat to Row…”).

The Boat that Folked:

Boat to Row’s music matches the poignant, delicate lyrics beautifully. The band have nailed their colours firmly to the contemporary folk mast with a sound that echoes that of Mumford and Sons, Stornoway, Noah and the Whale and the up and coming Tom Williams and the Boat. Hey, maybe boats are the next big thing in pop!

The influences don’t stop there though. “St. Wallis” takes things back to an older kind of folk with an American Hoe down feel merging with a Belle and Sebastian sensibility. Meanwhile “114 Miles” nods its head both to Teenage Fanclub and The Kinks and “A Boat to Row…” recalls the anti-folk approach of the Moldy Peaches.

Wave On!:

The songs feature both male and female voices, sometimes singing solo, sometimes singing duets with gorgeous close harmonies that will break your heart with their fragility. Beneath the voices are an array of banjos, guitars and snare drums adding further form to the beguiling vocals.

Boat to Row’s new EP weaves a rich tapestry of world weariness and folksy gentle laziness. The nautical allusions are spot on: neither too invasive or gimmicky, they serve to act as an entirely fitting set of analogies for the perils of living and loving.

With warmer weather finally hoving into view, this EP couldn’t have come at a better time. Happy listening!

A Boat to Row, to Row, to You is released in May 2011.

28/04/11

Related links:
A Boat to Row website
A Boat to Row on Myspace