* En anglais uniquement
The Australian band
Boxcar was influenced by
Cabaret Voltaire but sounded more like
New Order. The similarity to
New Order is mainly in the weary vocals of David Smith (guitar, keyboards), which easily recalls
Bernard Sumner's melancholic tone. Moreover,
Boxcar's music, combining upbeat keyboards and energetic riffs, would've suited
New Order's
Low-Life LP, released a year before
Boxcar debuted. Smith formed
Boxcar in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 1986 with Carol Rohde (vocals, keyboards). Brett Mitchell (keyboards) and Crispin Trist (percussion) joined the group, and the band continuously performed in rock-dominated Australia to little success. The group recorded some cassettes before signing with Volition in 1988. The label released
Boxcar's first single, "Freemason," later that year. "Freemason" had the press labeling
Boxcar as a
New Order knockoff; nevertheless, the song became a smash in clubs. The track landed at number eight on the Billboard dance charts. In 1990,
Boxcar recorded their debut album, Vertigo. "Gas Stop (Who Do You Think You Are?)" was another hit on the Billboard dance charts, peaking at number 13. Rohde and Trist departed from
Boxcar in 1992, replaced by Stewart Lawler (synthesizers). In addition to working on songs of their own,
Boxcar remixed singles for
Single Gun Theory,
the Models, and
Severed Heads in the early '90s.
Boxcar released their second full-length, Algorhythm, in 1994. The band signed with England's Pulse8 Records in 1996, but not much has been heard from them since. ~ Michael Sutton