Boys Like Girls

About Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls emerged from Andover, Massachusetts in 2005, right when pop-rock was having its moment between the emo wave and the pop-punk resurgence. Martin Johnson started the band with a clear understanding of what made a hook work, and that sensibility would become their defining trait. They rounded out the lineup with Paul DiGiovanni on guitar, Morgan Dorr on bass, and John Keefe on drums, though the latter two wouldn't stick around for the long haul.

Their self-titled debut in 2006 did exactly what it needed to do. The Great Escape became inescapable on alternative radio and Myspace profiles, with Johnson's vocals hitting that sweet spot between yearning and polished. Hero/Heroine and Thunder followed as singles, establishing them as a band that could write choruses that teenagers would scream in cars. The album went gold, which for a debut pop-rock record in that era meant you'd actually broken through the noise.

Love Drunk arrived in 2009 and showed they weren't interested in just repeating themselves. The title track leaned heavier into synths and production gloss, while Two Is Better Than One brought in Taylor Swift for what became their biggest crossover moment. That collaboration made sense on paper and somehow worked even better in practice, landing them on country radio alongside their alt-rock base. She's Got a Boyfriend Now and Heart Heart Heartbreak rounded out an album that felt more ambitious, even if some longtime fans thought they'd sanded down their edges.

Then came the gap. Crazy World didn't surface until 2012, by which point the musical landscape had shifted considerably. Be Your Everything and Life of the Party tried to recapture something, but the momentum had dissipated. The album had moments, but it also felt like a band caught between where they'd been and where rock radio was going. Shortly after, they went quiet, and it seemed like another case of a mid-2000s band gracefully stepping away.

Johnson stayed busy, writing for other artists and producing, which probably paid better anyway. He worked with everyone from Avril Lavigne to 5 Seconds of Summer, proving he knew his way around a pop song regardless of who was singing it. The rest of the band pursued their own things, and for nearly a decade, Boys Like Girls existed mainly as playlist nostalgia.

They've done some reunion shows in recent years, playing festivals and one-off dates for crowds who grew up with them. There's been talk of new music, the kind of talk that may or may not materialize into actual songs. For now, they're in that comfortable space where a band can show up occasionally, play the hits, and remind people that sometimes a well-crafted pop-rock song is enough of a legacy.

Their crowds are engaged without being frantic. People sing every word to the familiar stuff. There's genuine affection in the room rather than nostalgia-drunk irony. They're reliable musicians who play tight, don't oversell the drama, and seem aware they're working in a legacy.

Known for The Great Escape, Thunder, Two Is Better Than One, Love Drunk, Be Your Everything

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