Review Summary: Completely mindless pop-punk that shows signs of originality, but falls flat on its face quickly.
These recent string of popular pop-punk/emo bands has gone to an overbearing extreme...its a lot like reality TV shows about 5 years ago. Everything was 'Survivor' this and 'The Amazing Race' that, and lately, the 'trendy' thing has been the overpopulation and abundance of these frustrating, annoying, whiny, 'emo' pop-punk acts like Chiodos and Panic! At the Disco. Not a single good song has come from many of these bands, and they all sound the same. What makes them so 'enjoyable' and 'popular'? The same thing goes for this little band called Boys Like Girls. No, its not some cheap pornography flick you bought at the local video store, its in fact a band from Boston, Massachusetts who sound like every other pop-punk act out there, they've got plenty of the 'indie' and 'underground' charm, filled with whiny vocals, love ballads, and cliche one-liners.
Why would I subject myself to the lackluster mediocrity of bands like Boys Like Girls then, you might ask? Well, it just happens this album is possibly my friend's favorite album of all time, and the song
Thunder was the anthem to his and her relationship over the summer. There's not much depth here though-it all comes off repetitive, and irritating even though a few songs, notably
Me, You, and My Medication shows off a bit of originality and unique quality in Boys Like Girls' debut album, but there's not much else...its the prototypical bland pop-punk you've come to expect from bands like Chiodos and Panic! At the Disco.
The album does have an upbeat, cheerful feeling in many songs though, especially in the song
The Great Escape. The song has a nice, catchy beat and a fun chorus, even if the lead singer has an unbelievably whiny, overbearing, and feminine voice.
On Top of the World is another upbeat, cheerful song which is a bit of sunlight in the dark, depressing lyrics that are littered among the rest of pop-punk's acts. These songs aren't great, but they are sure to brighten up your day, especially if you can get past the lead singer's whiny, screeching voice.
There's plenty solemn, love ballads along here like
Thunder, which does have a heartfelt and meaningful chorus, even if it is a bit cliche. Its acoustic feel and 'echoing' charm makes it still the standout song on Boys Like Girls.
Me, You, and My Medication opens up with a hip-hop like dancefloor beat filled with synthesizers and keyboards, showing off a bit of promise for the album, but it flies downhill fast into another mindless drone of a chorus. There's plenty of solid ground here on this album, but with a bit more experimentation and a bit less of the overused, 'poppy' choruses, maybe Boys Like Girls could emerge from the multitude of bland, mindless pop-punk acts; because this album has the roots, and potential to be some solid pop-punk, but Boys Like Girls' desperate attempts to be accepted by the multitude of depressed teenagers makes this album not much more than any other album by some repetitive fellow pop-punk band.
Boys Like Girls shows real promise to be more than the mindless pop-punk in abundance today, especially with the echoing, atmospheric guitar work and dancefloor beats, but their overusage of cheerful guitars, typical mindless pop-punk choruses and cliche one-liners makes this album completely mediocre and not very special. This band comes off as just another offspring of the 'emo' pop-punk acts, and a lot like the nu-metal movement of the early 2000s. There will continue to be lots of acts like this, and not very many of them manage to get much success, but who knows, maybe this Boston-bred band Boys Like Girls have the integrity and 'guts' to stick it out and put out something better than the mediocrity on their self-titled debut album. Only time will tell, but for now, make sure to keep the album on the shelf, as its not much more than any other album in the Pop-Punk section of your local record store.
DOWNLOAD:
Thunder
