What’s a Boojum? Well, next year will mark the 150th year of readers not knowing the exact answer. Such was Lewis Carroll’s way of peddling beautiful nonsense our way. It seems a well suited name to Nova Scotia’s The Boojums, though: an absolutely ideas-stuffed trio that rock the fuck out this way and that, either channelling something you’ve heard a million times or never at all—and far cosier and more loveable than any type of Snark.
What we do know is how this band’s DIT self-titled arrives as a fully-fleshed live recording that’s part dive bar, part living room. Guitarist and frontman Willie Stratton has often spoken of Halifax Pop Explosion, a festival that introduced him to a mix of rare rock ‘n’ roll, alt-rock and chaos that would infiltrate his own songwriting. Along with bassist and partner Sara, The Boojums recorded a bunch of material onto analogue in 2024, printed shirts by hand, and recorded these vintage VHS tape videos in Stratton’s adjacent barbershop room for Reddit and YouTube. With Patrick Murphy on drums, they refined track ideas that got thrashed out in one week. Intentionally imperfect, homespun, and filled with an exuberance a record released through ‘Having Fun Records’ implies.
Yep, the charisma is all there to see: a love for rockabilly, surf, ‘60s music and garage- and indie-rock, pulled off in their own brand of catchiness you cannot rid yourself of for days. There’s many Frankensteined elements going, and not necessarily what you’d expect from a decidedly lo-fi band. On Outta My Head, Stratton seems to channel Nic Cage channeling Elvis as on Wild At Heart (very much thematically mirrored on the road trip reverie of single Wings Of Fire), Burnin’ Up could be Josh Homme out of context, a heartland Springsteen feel makes up Football, and Gravy carries the sheeny side of Weezer down to its “is it corny, ironic, brilliant, or all of them?” half-rapped vocals that’s a little more Beverly Hills than the power-pop titans’ underrated Maladroit period.
Nonetheless, Stratton’s croon is its own shapeshifting, impersonating thing that has many highlights, including the deeply delivered humour of his “ooooohs” and the low timbre on Like It to juxtapose his more bombastic throat yelps. That track particularly becomes a Sabbathy, Deep Purpley hard-ass blues rocker, linking perfectly to the other two players that are his ideal complement. In fact, it would have been an extra dash of difference to hear more of Sara’s Dan’s Transmissions lead vocals, alongside her earworm additional backings sprinkled throughout and bass playing that grants such a playful brightness; an 8-string used wildly and without too much gimmick on Wings Of Fire. That’s certainly a prime instrumental moment, alongside the sliding riffs of Metropolis-inspired Garden Of The Sons and the melodramatic, yearning closer Yellow Lines.
Even more briskness may have inched The Boojums closer to all-killer-no-filler starter piece, but there’s no doubt they’ll make many people party in their flat on their lonesome nonetheless. That feels the fitting way to experience the uncategorisable group, wholly set on presenting something authentic above all else. It’s exciting to see just how they can do more of the most stylish throwback musical stumbling you’ll get to hear.
For fans of: Sweeping Promises, Prison Affair, The Vaccines
‘The Boojums’ by The Boojums is released on 31st October on Having Fun Records.
Words by Elliot Burr
