Boys Like Girls

Love Drunk

Written by: TL on 20/10/2009 23:40:18

After spending what was arguably too many words on my last review, I'm going to compensate by being quite brief and to the point in this, the review of Boys Like Girls sophomore album "Love Drunk": It is utter fuckin' shit. Will that do?

No? Well, let's go slightly into depth then. I remember letting myself be persuaded by this band's first record, helped greatly by an enthusiastic performance at 2007's Give It A Name festival, falling in with a few of its songs and proclaiming in its review, that "(it) is just about as cheesy and polished as you can get without being a boyband". However, even if that is the truth about that record, there's no redemption to be had here. "Love Drunk" is as rock as Westlife, it is the most obviously teenage-oriented cash grab since The Jonas Brothers and listening to it pretty much makes me sick.

"They say we're heading for a heart-heart-heartbreaaak, but I don't even wanna hear you say, don't say you love me, don't say you love me".

"I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung over, I'd love you forever, forever is over".

Those are the choruses of the two opening tracks, predictably titled "Heart Heart Heartbreak" and "Love Drunk", and as I suffer through the trendy vocal effects I can't help but to wonder if BLG actually let a twelve year old girl write their lyrics to be sure they'd communicate perfectly with their target demographic. I swear to all that is holy, that title track actually haves me thinking that maybe Simple Plan and Cobra Starship aren't so bad?

What a horrible thing to think! And things don't improve in the foreseeable future. "She's Got A Boyfriend" is like Hellogoodbye, except robbed of both charm and intelligence, and don't even get me started on the following balladic duet "Two Is Better Than One". Does the title not simply make you want to desecrate something sweet and fluffy? In comparison, the full speed "Contagious" glides down with minimum induction of nausea, and "Real Thing" seems okay for all of five seconds, but alas, then it's chorus comes in and you'll be clawing for your barf-bag all over again.

I wish I could go on, but I simply have no desire to continue scrutinizing the second half of the album for more examples of its horror. I can think of no reason that anyone above the age of thirteen should want to write, let alone listen to the kind of music Boys Like Girls provide on Love Drunk, and the album's only real merit is that it clarifies the difference between times where pop is done utterly without soul, and times were it is done with charm (see: The Higher). If you want to check it out, you better leave your brains by the door. Enough said.

Download: Contagious, Real Thing
For The Fans Of: The Jonas Brothers, Forever The Sickest Kids, Simple Plan
Listen: myspace.com/boyslikegirls

Release Date 08.09.2009
Columbia Records

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.