Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls

Written by: TL on 22/08/2006 00:05:03

If you’re the kind of person who’s just dying to get your hands on the latest pop punk/emo hybrid, and you were, just as I was, sort of disappointed with the latest efforts from bands like Cute Is What We Aim For, then here’s what you’ve been waiting for.

To get the obvious negative stuff out of the way, let it be stated that, the eponymous debut from American Boys Like Girls is just about as cheesy and polished as you can get without being a boyband. Seriously, we’re talking almost Busted-like levels on some occasions.

With that said, this is actually not a bad record at all. Though all your usual pop punk clichés are all at play here, they’re being utilized to their full potential. We have the same old riffs and drumbeats used by most other bands out there, coming together to form a sound reminiscent of Sugarcult, with lyrics as sweet as anything Mae could have written and vocals falling somewhere between Cartel and Cute Is What We Aim For. A sound that’s going to grab you by your genitals with its sheer catchiness and drag you through half of this album in a matter of no time.

Thus every track from up tempo opener “The Great Escape” through first single anthem “Hero/Heroine” to the classical acoustic “Thunder” will strike you as nothing less than great songs, and rightfully so. Boys Like Girls have managed to dodge the staggering number of pitfalls their sound (and name) would imply, with an intrepid sense of songwriting, and even if the lyrics are every bit as sentimental as you’d expect from a band with a name like this, you can’t help but to feel the honesty with which they’re performed.

Personally I become a bit tired with the approach taken by the band, the longer I get into "Boys Like Girls", but on their own, every song is a small pop punk curiosity. Despite the usual ridiculous amount of over-production bands like this are seemingly doomed to suffer from, the songs shine through and manage to craft identities of their own, and that’s impressive in this kind of genre. Had the band been able to claim a bit more originality, as well as the courage to have a bit more of an edge to their music, they could be lookin’ at really good grades. So far though, they’re still not quite ready for the major leagues.

Download: Hero/Heroine, The Great Escape, Thunder
For the fans of: Mae, Cartel, Cute Is What We Aim For
Listen: Boys Like Girls@MySpace

Release date 22.08.2006
Red Ink

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