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Boys Like Girls

Love Drunk (2009)
Sony Music Entertainment

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: chrisafi
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on November 24th 2009

Boys Like Girls is a terrible name for a band. Let's get that out of the way now. But, their debut and self-titled record had a couple of real pop-punk gems that would have made any masters of the art form proud had they written them instead.

Boys Like Girls' second album, keeping in touch with their knack of terrible names, is called Love Drunk and comes a full three years later. That is quite a significant gap between a debut and a sophomore release these days, particularly in such an overcrowded genre where many bands seem to be constantly racing against the ticking clock that is their fans growing up and moving onto new musical tastes. So, what have Boys Like Girls done with this album to distinguish themselves and start creating a band legacy? That's right, they have dropped a massive steaming turd. This isn't pop-punk -- this is power-pop and of the most unpalatable form.

From the opening two seconds of the first track "Heart Heart Heartbreak" (oh look, the terrible name thing is back), it becomes blatantly obvious the band has gone all Hellogoodbye with their sound, as horrible synthetic vocals with distorting reverb and electro-something-or-other effects blare out. It's really one of the most unpleasant album openings I've heard in some time. Next up, the title track is entirely forgettable, apart from some pretty ugly falsetto harmonies in the chorus and the terrible lyrical hook "I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hungover."

What other gems are there on this release? Well, the intro from "Contagious" is almost exactly ripped off from Bowling for Soup's "High School Never Ends" -- and that wasn't even a good song in the first place (seriously, do check out the similarity; it's uncanny). Elsewhere, stripped-back acoustic track "Two Is Better Than One" features a performance from Taylor Swift, and sounds like it's straight out of the next High School Musical film and is equally worthless as a piece of musical craft.

Predictably, the second half of the album is, then, a further extension of the same electro-pop massacre that is the first half. Final track "Go" clocks in at a somewhat long and self-gratifying six minutes but does sound quite nice after the preceding 40 minutes of aural battery, because someone unplugged the synthesisers. However, it's still nothing special.

All in all, I can't tell you how horrible this album is. I picked it up with the hope I might get one or two catchy little gems like their debut's "Five Minutes to Midnight." I wasn't expecting much. But a slap in the face would have better.

Avoid.

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savato (November 27, 2009)

Hehe, I saw they were in the Macys day parade.

Poor guys.

telegraphrocks (November 26, 2009)

Ugh.

almostpunkenough (November 25, 2009)

oldpunker, it's good to see you.

oldpunkerforever (November 25, 2009)

saw a video of these guys the other day, i had never heard their music, I hope i never do again, Ugh-oldpunker-

victim (November 25, 2009)

Haven't heard this band, but another band that went from pop-punk to power pop without (IMO) negative results is the Leftovers

Stop Drop Rock N Roll was so awesome..but their latest album Eager to Please? I guess its OK for what its supposed to be..but it bums me out a little

PMAtill_imDOA (November 24, 2009)

I hate this band.
I agree with the review.
blech.

almostpunkenough (November 24, 2009)

i haven't been around here too much recently, and maybe it's different now, but the reason i stopped posting is because most of the regulars who i liked (people who were open minded) started posting less and less and were replaced by people who just wanted to bust balls and tell everyone how cool they were cause they listened an even more random crust punk band than you.

i don't mean to generalize, and i feel kinda dumb cause the majority of reviewers here really do put lots of work into what they do (i know i used to) and do a great job, there's just too many fuckheads who are so vocal that they seem like there's more of them than there are.

14theroad (November 24, 2009)

You should be able to give half a star or no stars for something like this.

mikexdude (November 24, 2009)

I'm kidding...

mikexdude (November 24, 2009)

Well i do agree - some people go out of their way to listen to things they know they wont like so they can review them badly. That's completely retarded.

It's fun as hell :o

chrisafi (November 24, 2009)

Well i do agree - some people go out of their way to listen to things they know they wont like so they can review them badly. That's completely retarded.

mikexdude (November 24, 2009)

a review of this album on this site by the majority of readers is almost always just a waste of space and a valiant (but usually fruitless) attempt to show off how clever and brutal they can be about music they don't like.

Don't assume the majority of the readers wouldn't enjoy this. The registered users don't even make up 1/4th of the readers on this website.

Also, I don't like rants, but there's no such this as bad publicity. We all have ears. We all have the ability to illegally download something. Reviews are essentially promotional only.

The readers of this site are about 90x more hollier than thou than any review.

almostpunkenough (November 24, 2009)

my diatribe really wasn't about you, your review just happened to set me off cause i'm petty and bitter. sorry about that.

and you're right, though, i shoulda looked at your personal review history. you actually like a lot of the same stuff i do. we can go and take nice windy walks now and maybe get some cotton candy.

i think, though, that even you'd agree that there are far too many personal hate-rants about bands like this than there are actual reviews on this site.

chrisafi (November 24, 2009)

Cool.

Ignore my below post, I posted it before reading your follow up.

chrisafi (November 24, 2009)

And screw you this comment:

"a review of this album on this site by the majority of readers is almost always just a waste of space and a valiant (but usually fruitless) attempt to show off how clever and brutal they can be about music they don't like."

I've done alot of reviews here and this is the first one to score under a 5, so at least have the decency to click a few buttons and realise you are talking out of your rear-end before accusing me of being some chest-beating moron with a vendetta

almostpunkenough (November 24, 2009)

you know what? i'm sorry, i shouldn't have been so vitriolic about this. i think you were really speaking your mind, especially since you said you'd give their first album a 6.

i'm just so tired of these reviews on here that are nothing but self-serving "look how underground i am, i hate all things that even COULD be mainstream" bullshit. for the most part, this review is well written and actually gives lots of reasons for your score (which i think is pretty low, but i've never actually listened to this album. a two is harsh for anything).

again, sorry, i didn't wanna seem like i was attacking you. more than anything i just wish that most people here weren't so holier-than-thou.

chrisafi (November 24, 2009)

I would have given their first album a 6.

I'm not someone who hates pop punk or even pop music thrashing out at a genre - this is TERRIBLE pop music, not pop music therefore terrible.

almostpunkenough (November 24, 2009)

oh wow, this got a 2 on Punknews??? that's so surprising!

but seriously, this is an awful review. not because it's not true (it mostly is), but because you somehow manage to be even more predictable and cliche than the music.

a review of this album on this site by the majority of readers is almost always just a waste of space and a valiant (but usually fruitless) attempt to show off how clever and brutal they can be about music they don't like.