Love Drunk - Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls' self-titled debut album was an unexpected success, eventually going gold. Devoid of any hit singles or a truly distinctive sound, the album seemed to catch on because it was a perfect distillation of the emo pop sound with no rough edges to scare people away. For the follow-up, 2009's Love Drunk, the band sticks to the same basic template of super slick, glossily produced emo pop with uptempo songs that sound stadium singalong-friendly and ballads that seem destined to melt teenage girls' hearts. The difference this time is that the songs are better written and hookier, especially the rockers. "She's Got a Boyfriend Now" and "Contagious" sound like 2000s updates of the classic '80s sound of pop/rockers like Bryan Adams and Rick Springfield; "Real Thing" even conjures up the red leather and headbanded ghost of Loverboy. Strip away a few of the modern things like Auto-Tune and programmed drums, and there you are. These very catchy, super fun rockers comprise two-thirds of the album and the strongest part of the record; the rest is made up of modern rock ballads that sound like the work of a different band entirely. In the end, Love Drunk is an improvement on their debut and a surprisingly good pop/rock record with emo leanings.~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide