Press:

As A Fire to Make Preparations proves again and again, lyrics may be The Boy Bathing's strongest suit. Whether whispered, cooed or snarled, Hurwitz's words delight with their disarming blend of unpredictability, insight and jubilant resignation.

A Fire To Make Preparations (July 15), fits right in with the Smiths and Belle & Sebastian's heart-on-sleeve style.

Vocal style and word choices are sensitive and occasionally dainty and would seem to say 'love me, imperfect man,' but there's a raw edge there that always seems on the precipice of saying fuck-it and flipping everyone the finger.

A Fire to Make Preparations is one of those rare things: an album with a coherent, uniform sound that nevertheless varies its style from song to song...Lead singer David Hurwitz wails through the tracks on A Fire to Make Preparations with a tremulous voice...Jeannie Scofield sounds precious-pretty when backing his earnestly wheedling sound, but when she has a moment to herself the warmth and humor in her voice has a chance to shine...The songs themselves are almost painfully sincere, as the band fearlessly flings themselves over that emotional cliff whose edge makes so many bands these days stop and shuffle their feet...The Boy Bathing strips it all off in this open heart surgery of an album.

-The L Magazine

Think precious acoustic-sounding indie lullabies ("Cuddlecore," they say on their myspace, which sounds ominous but is kinda misleading), but so wordy that the lyrics start to avalanche in a way that's kind of sweet and romantic.

-The Philadelphia Weekly

Hey look! It's a boy bathing! You might've thought sensitive singer/songwriters have bared it all before, but wait till you hear David Hurwitz spin his emotive brand of pop. The band name comes from one of Aesop's Fables, and instead of soapy backs and rubber floaties, you can count on literate, baroque ditties orchestrated with horns, strings, drums and keyboards. Critics have likened Hurwitz's songs to Bright Eyes backed by Arcade Fire, but don't let that spoil your appetite. It's really more like the sweeping, large ensemble exuberance of Sweden's Loney, Dear, and highly recommended.

-The Phillyist

The best we can do to describe the rather unique sound is to call it emotional folk-pop-rock, but that might give you the wrong idea; it's actually quite good! The lyrics are clever, and tell strange little stories; Hurwitz's vocals are intriguing and moving; the harmonies are quite lovely; the music is catchy.

-Staten Island Live

CMJ, Day 1: The first band I caught was The Boy Bathing, a New York band in the vein of Bright Eyes who I met a few years ago through their sporadic trips up to Connecticut. Normally this kind of stuff-the slightly dramatic vocals, singer/songwriter mystique-isn't my bag. But I have to admit, The Boy Bathing connects. They've obviously been playing in the city for long enough to know their audience, and last night the band seemed to be gaining some new fans in the old office space of the Factory. Churning out well-written songs with plenty of harmonies and good orchestration (trumpet, bass, keys, drums, acoustic and electric guitar), the band proved a good start to the evening.

-The Emory Wheel

The Boy Bathing - And then there was the wild card. In the dank basement of the Knitting Factory on night one of the festival played a nine-piece band called The Boy Bathing. Out of New York (but pretty much still in it), the band sounds like Bright Eyes backed by the Arcade Fire. But you can't fault frontman David Hurwitz for his Conor Oberst-like voice, and you can't fault a band for being large and bombastic. They generally only appear as a quintet, but if the Knitting Factory show was any indication, even with only five members, The Boy Bathing can still impress.

-Jim Macnie, The Providence Pheonix

A Brooklyn resident and splendid example of the nu-singer-songwriter esthetic thats been resonating on the indie scene for the last several years. Operating with only a well-picked acoustic guitar and a love of words that I probably cant capture in one phrase, the singer is a convincer. Hes both naïve and wise, and the balance is fetching.

-La Blogotheque: Paris, France

They succeeded in the incredible intense songs, great storytelling, perfect harmony between the singer's voice and the little fairy who sings behind himIf we had a plane ticket from New York to Paris in our hands we would offer it to them immediately.

-Heart Beats the Arts: New Orleans, LA

He held a dry acoustic guitar like a shield before a tank. His face was both earnest and cynical. Had one not heard the lyrics, one would still know he was committing an act of violence on life and loveThe Boy Bathing is more deliberate than Bright Eyes and more surreptitiously maliciousIf touring continues he will be found.

-Seven Days: Burlington, VT

Working a crappy day job isnt enough for The Boy Bathing and who could blame him? This Brooklyn-based indie troubadour is on a one man mission to bring smart, sensitive songs to the masses.