Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls craft a sweet, emo-infused brand of pop punk that draws deeply from late-’90s alternative rock. Emerging from the Boston suburbs, the group broke through to mainstream audiences in 2006 when their self-titled debut climbed into the higher reaches of the Billboard 200. Their 2009 follow-up, Love Drunk, performed even stronger by entering the Top Ten, powered in part by the Taylor Swift collaboration “Two Is Better Than One.” Shifting direction, the band issued the country-pop-oriented Crazy World in 2012, their final studio album for more than ten years. They resurfaced in 2023 via the driving single “Blood & Sugar,” which signaled the arrival of their fourth full-length effort, Sunday at Foxwoods.

The quartet came together in Andover in 2004, built around singer and guitarist Martin Johnson, bassist Bryan Donahue, drummer John Keefe, and guitarist Paul DiGiovanni, the latter two of whom are cousins. After uploading several demo tracks online, their energetic melodies and youthful spirit quickly built a fan base and drew interest from figures such as booking agent Matt Galle, known for work with My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday, and producer Matt Squire, whose credits included Panic at the Disco and Northstar; both reached out about possible collaborations. Following a nationwide PureVolume-sponsored trek alongside Hit the Lights and A Thorn for Every Heart, the group recorded its first album with Squire. Released in August 2006 on Red Ink, the self-titled set echoed the melodic, punk-leaning wing of emo associated with Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy. Though sales began modestly, the record eventually earned gold certification, while cuts such as “Thunder” kept the band on the Billboard charts through 2008. After issuing the live album and video Read Between the Lines, they headed back into the studio for a second collection that surfaced in 2009 as Love Drunk. Debuting at number eight on the Billboard 200, the album showcased polished, radio-ready production and featured the hit duet with Taylor Swift. Two years afterward, the band announced bassist Donahue’s departure. Late in 2012 they unveiled the Crazy World EP and its accompanying LP, both of which found the lineup—now including new bassist Morgan Dorr—fully embracing country-pop over any remaining emo-pop traces.

For the next decade the members concentrated on separate endeavors yet sustained the band through occasional concerts. They reemerged fully in early 2023 with the propulsive alt-rock track “Blood & Sugar,” paving the way for the long-awaited fourth studio album Sunday at Foxwoods later that year.