Review by Theo Ploeg for Kindamuzik online magazine

Sublime pop songs in a crap production

Haarlem resident Marijn Ophorst is an introverted young man with a passion for the Beach Boys, who has been wasting his musical life away as a bassist and singer in various local groups. Boys Republic is his project, Kismet the first album. A somewhat strange album, because to be totallly honest Kismet doesn't sound very good at all. The reason: the worthless production in the MusicNuts! Studio of Jaco van der Steen. That the twelve songs leave behind a good impression is mainly the merit of Ophorst himself. He's not a technically good singer. But that doesn't get in the way. For Ophorst sounds like a performer, as someone who delivers his songs full of fire and passion. Regardless of the circumstances. On songs like Judy, I Creep To Your Room and Bring On The Sun you can imagine him pulling the weirdest stunts from behind his piano. Ophorst as a cross between the extravert British jazz pianist Jamie Cullum and the introvert Elvis Costello, so to speak. He's also a good enough composer, being inspired by the way by big examples The Beach Boys and contemporaries. Best songs? The up-tempo single Bring On The Sun, the melancholy What You've Done and opening track All I Want Is You. The latter song is, owing to its sublime guitar melodies, without a doubt the best on the record. I'd like to see Ophorst working with a nice recording budget for a change. But if that's ever going to happen?

Read the original (Dutch) article here.

Review by Di-Lan Sun for Fret/NPI

Boys Republic is the new toy of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Marijn Ophorst. In twelve songs he takes the listener on a musical journey through the eighties [MO: qoui???]. The songs aren't too badly composed and in the few good moments Ophorst has as a singer he reminds us of 10CC.
Still, it's all just off-by-one. A song like The News, probably meant as Radiohead-parody, is simply flat. Too band, because musically Boys Republic really isn't a bad group, but with his non-existent singing talent Ophorst spoils his own party somewhat.

Read the original (Dutch) article here.