No Frills, No Fuss, The Boojums are Here to Rock
Photo Credit: Christine Latter
It is always exciting to listen to a band that comes out of nowhere and, for lack of a more academic word, rocks, and Cape Breton’s The Boojums just simply rock. A power trio made up of long-time friends (Willie Stratton and Sara Johnston are partners [Johnston is also a member of Halifax-based all girl punk band Skunk Motel]; drummer Patrick Murphy has played with them for fifteen years), they released their debut self-titled album in October via Having Fun Records, part of the legendary We Are Busy Bodies out of Toronto. The album is a fully cohesive journey, sequenced to perfection, inspired by Nirvana’s In Utero, the work of Pixies, and in particular, fellow Nova Scotia greats, Sloan. Stratton added “we grew up listening to Sloan, I find their albums to be real rides, they are how an album should flow.” Highlights from the album include “Like It” (a song about the “dark spots in your mind, where you are not feeling great, but want to rage out, which music is a great outlet to do so”), “Garden of Sons” (which comes from a line from the film Metropolis) and “Dan’s Transmission,” a song co-written and sung by Sara Johnston, which Johnston admits is the first time she has ever sung on a recording, or really, publicly. The song “Dan’s Transmission” is about the universal feeling of going back to your hometown (Halifax in the case of Johnston and Stratton) and how much things have changed; those same places where you would go around and have fun or play shows are not there anymore.
The Boojums are an immediate band, no frills, just great music. That no frills nature is also showcased through their use of VHS-recorded performance videos, which you can find on their social media. Willie Stratton explained “I have been frequently bored with modern tech. I remember the first time I saw an HD video, it blew my mind. It was Animal Collective’s “My Girls.” This is right when YouTube HD came out, and it was stunning, and you were hungry for HD videos.” However, once everything is shiny and pristine looking, everything begins to lose its luster, and you start to feel nostalgic for the VHS hiss and grainy video quality of yore. Stratton added "It holds a special place in your heart, a lot of us have memories with VHS. It just makes you feel a certain way and it feels right for this low-tech, DIY vibe we got.” For the type of music The Boojums make, it is a snug fit, as every time you watch one of their great performance videos you can imagine it appearing on a 2000-era episode of MuchMusic’s The Wedge, taped from your parents house that you just rediscovered.
The Boojums have a packed 2026 planned, where the primary aim is to tour across Canada and elsewhere, which include tentative plans for The Boojums’ first show in Calgary. Sara Johnston is excited to go back to Alberta, as she lived in Alberta for a year as a teacher, but has never been with her music. Knowing how much this Boojums album has made a splash in a short amount of time, as it gets played on campus and community radio stations nationwide, catching The Boojums live at a city near you is one of the top things you need to do in 2026.