Song of the Day: BOAT - Inside the Aquarium

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Inside the Aquarium” by BOAT from the 2013 album Pretend to Be Brave on Magic Marker.

BOAT - Inside the Aquarium (MP3)

Across five albums, Seattle's BOAT have earned a local reputation for their sloppy, rough, and loud guitar-driven rock (think a less pretentious Pavement or a less mopey Dinosaur Jr.) Honest and self-aware, BOAT's music has always embraced a lo-fi pop aesthetic with a certain level of humor (one of their albums is titled Songs You Might Not Like), which certainly contributes to their notoriously fun live show. (Watch a clip of it below.) On their latest full-length, Pretend To Be Brave, the band sounds comfortable with their local veteran status, approaching more mature themes with as much earnestness and energy as ever. "Inside The Aquarium", a loose, poppy garage gem (with a "Cut Your Hair"-esque hook) finds frontman D. Crane's deep croon tempered by Shelly Short's soft coo. "And you cried when you realized it was good just to be alive," the duo sing in the song's bridge. BOAT may not be the freshest kids on the scene anymore, but they're writing songs about growing up and looking at yourself without falling prey melodrama or self-pity, which is more than many bands their age can say. "Inside The Aquarium" shows that you don't need to be a huge, dramatic, let's-save-the-world band to age gracefully, and that it's probably better to do it with your friends in your garage than some overpriced venue anyway.

BOAT will play their "final Seattle show for quite some time" on April 20th at the Sunset Tavern. Get more info and tickets for that show here, and keep up with the band on their website and Facebook. Watch the band play "Classically Trained" at the 2012 Concerts At The Mural below.