Boxcar (band)

Boxcar
Origin	Brisbane, Australia
Genres	Synthpop, Techno, House, Electronica
Years active	1986-
Labels	Volition Records (1988-1995) Distributed by Nettwerk Records in North America Arista Records
Website	http://www.boxcar.com.au
Members	David Smith
Past members	Stewart Lawler, Carol Rohde, Crispin Trist, Brett Mitchell

Boxcar is an Australian Sydney-based synthpop and techno band. Formed in the mid-1980s in Brisbane by main songwriter guitarist and vocalist David Smith, he was soon joined by keyboardists Brett Mitchell and Carol Rohde and somewhat later by drummer-percussionist Crispin Trist. They initially released several cassette-only releases including the album P.C.M.. Boxcar's early material sounded similar to contemporaries such as Cabaret Voltaire and Severed Heads. Boxcar were also notable for playing many live shows in the Brisbane area and around the country, including shows where they performed wearing gas masks. Performing electronic music live was a difficult feat given the preference in Australian live venues for guitar-driven pub rock and they would sometimes be jeered by members of the crowd.

They rose to prominence after releasing the single "Freemason (You Broke The Promise)" in 1988 after signing with Volition Records, and hit number 8 in the United States Billboard dance music chart. Initially criticised in the local press for being derivative of New Order they nevertheless built a local following, despite a lack of commercial radio airplay for electronic music. "Freemason" was soon followed by the singles "Insect" (remixed by noted producer Arthur Baker) and "Gas Stop (Who Do You Think You Are?)" (remixed by Francois Kevorkian) (both of which also charted in the US but had little local impact - "Gas Stop" peaked at No. 82 on the ARIA singles chart) and by their formal debut album Vertigo on Volition in 1990.

Vertigo was well received by critics who noted the production was considerably more sophisticated than most electronic music produced in Australia to that point, due in large part to producer Robert Racic, who had also worked with Severed Heads and other Volition artists such as Single Gun Theory. Overall, Vertigo had a fairly pop feel, however the band also included more experimental instrumentals on the album such as "Comet" (also on the B-side of the "Freemason" single) and "Lelore" (featuring an eerie wailing as the centrepiece "vocal", it was released as a single in its own right). A round of live dates and tours followed including supports for New Order, Depeche Mode, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys.

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