written by Lauren Rosier
When I first heard Boniface – who uses they/them pronouns – I knew I was into something special. The project is the brainchild and primary creative outlet for Canada’s Micah Visser.
“Waiting Up In Suburbia” is the first track on the album and it showcases Visser’s songwriting abilities. This particular song is gentle, emotive, and relatable; all traits that help the artist connect with the listener. I love how this song is played on the piano, not a keyboard, but an actual piano. The gentleness of the keys and their vocals are exquisite.
The next track is “I Will Not Return As a Tourist” and it’s an absolutely gorgeous song. From its melody to the piano, keys, and even some synths take front and center at the end of the song. It ends as an upbeat song that reminds me of artists like The Killers, Death Cab For Cutie, and American Football.
The lead single from Boniface’s self-titled debut, “Keeping Up,” was an excellent choice for the first single. It’s upbeat, the songwriting is superb, and the production sounds beautiful. It’s nice to hear the vocalist for once without the instrumentation completely fogging the vocals.
If you love synth-heavy indie-alt-pop, “Dear Megan” is an incredible song. It opens with crazy synths and kind of melds from the ’80s inspired to an indie-alternative track that had elements of Taking Back Sunday.
“Oh My God” was released as a single off the record and has feel-good vibe once the chorus hits. You can’t help but move around and get a little inspired. “Oh My God” is Visser’s anthem about “taking a deep breath and telling somebody special how you feel about them.” It’s about speaking your truth and letting it lie.
“Fumbling” has a solid, dynamic melody to it, while “Your List” is gentle and emotional with just the piano and Visser’s vocals.
One of my favorite songs on the records is called “Ghosts”. It opens with a slow crescendo, then builds up with the drums. Visser is the Chris Carraba of indie-rock while Carraba is the reigning king of emo music. There is something about Visser’s music; it’s very emotional, raw, and real.
On “Wake Me Back Up,” the song begins with this solid percussive intro and then slowly melds into a guitar-heavy track. The dynamics are fascinating and the way they are crafted.
Overall, Boniface’s debut record is a solid, indie-rock masterpiece filled with sing-along songs for late nights.
