It’s been a one-way street going up for this Faroese quintet since the beginning in September 2006. Their first concert the following month earned them a second place finish in the Faroese final of Global Battle Of The Bands, while 2007 saw them hit number one with single ‘Super Contagious’, Best Newcomer Award at the Faroese Planet Awards and victory in the international final of GBOTB plus gigs at several main festivals.

This year has been equally eventful with more festival gigs (among them Iceland Airwaves, SxSW and by:Larm) and of course the release of debut album ‘Black Diamond Train’. A release they celebrated by breaking the world record for most concerts in 24 hours, playing no less than 24 shows around the Faroe Islands this July. An impressive achievement, witnessing the energy by which Boys In A Band are bursting.

I caught them at this years Iceland Airwaves and it was an almost exhausting experience, and – along with some kick-ass rock tracks – their main accomplishment on ‘Black Diamond Train’, produced by Ken Thomas (e.g. Sigur Rós, Dave Gahan, Cocteau Twins) and his son, Jolyon, is the capture of that live energy on album. They say it sounds like “Dylan on amphetamine”. I have to agree. At least to the amphetamine part.

Because, although His Bobness can be found in the mix, more becoming – or at least directly applicable – references lie in contemporary rock’n’roll acts like The Strokes, The Hives, Arctic Monkeys and The Fratellis, who also have made big careers of updating the 1960s and 70s rhythm & blues and garage rock. I write also, ‘cause Boys In A Band could be heading for just that; a grand career.

Not least carried by aforementioned single ‘Super Contagious’, a 2.39 minute power house capturing what the Boys are all about: Hefty beats, gritty guitars, Hammond organ, synths and vocalist/guitarist Pætur Zachariasson howling his lyrics like a preacher condemning us all. This recipe works equally great in album opener ‘Most Of The Time’, ‘Beyond Communication’ and the title track, while ompa-country surprise ‘The Curtain Fell’ offers a short moment to catch your breath.

Boys In A Band does in no way revolutionize anything and all but a couple of their songs are powered by the same formula, but what ‘Black Diamond Train’ may lack in variation, they make up for with their immense energy and undeniable talent for writing catchy riffs with the choruses to match.

Genre: Rock
Who: Boys In A Band
Title: Black Diamond Train
Label: N/A (Unsigned)
Year: 2008
Country: Faroe Islands
Language: English

Recommended tracks:
Most Of The Time – Beyond Communication – Black Diamond Train – The Curtain Fell – Super Contagious