Boys Like Girls (album)
Boys Like Girls is the debut studio album by American rock band Boys Like Girls. It was released on August 22, 2006, by Columbia Records and Red Ink. The album garnered a mixed reception from critics. Boys Like Girls reached number 55 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Hero/Heroine", "The Great Escape" and "Thunder". To promote the record, the band toured across North America and the UK as support for various pop-punk acts, with appearances at music festivals and amusement parks.
Boys Like Girls
August 22, 2006
Early 2006
45:14
Background[edit]
Boys Like Girls formed in late 2005 when vocalist/guitarist Martin Johnson, previously of the band IDK, wrote a few songs that he wished to record. He subsequently brought in bassist Bryan Donahue and drummer John Keefe, both of whom Johnson had played within local acts Lancaster and The Bends. Keefe, in turn, recruited guitarist Paul DiGiovanni.[1] They posted a handful of demos online, and by the end of the year, were attracting a following and noticed by booking agent Matt Galle and producer Matt Squire, both of whom wanted to work with the band.[2] In February and March 2006, the band supported A Thorn for Every Heart on their US tour.[3] Following its conclusion, the band went to record their debut album with Squire.[2] He acted as the producer, engineer; he mixed every track except "The Great Escape" and "On Top of the World", which were mixed by Tom Lord-Alge with assistance from Femio Hernandez at South Beach Studios. George Marino mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York.[4]
Release[edit]
On July 24, 2006, Boys Like Girls was announced for release in the following month. It was released on August 22 through Red Ink and Columbia Records.[7] The album's lead single was "Hero/Heroine", which was followed by "The Great Escape", and the re-release of Hero/Heroine and then "Thunder". In October, the band went on tour with Lostprophets. Following this, the band went on tour with Spitalfield, Punchline, Valencia and Over It in November and December.[8]
In February and March 2007, the group supported Cartel on their tour of the US.[9] On March 13, "The Great Escape" was released to mainstream radio.[10] Following this, they appeared at The Bamboozle festival.[11] From early April to early June, the band supported Hellogoodbye on their Two Months Of Spring Break Tour '99 tour of North America.[12] From late June to late August, the band went on the 2007 edition of Warped Tour.[13] Starting in late September, the group headlined the Tourzilla tour. The first part ran from late September to late October and featured All Time Low, the Audition and We the Kings, while the second part ran from late October and continued into November with All Time Low, the Audition and Valencia. During this tour, a deluxe edition of Boys Like Girls was released. The CD came with enhanced content which consisted of a photo gallery, videos of the group's AOL Sessions performance, as well as live footage of "Heels Over Head" and "The Great Escape". The CD features new mixes of "Hero/Heroine" and "Heels Over Head", done by Tom Lord-Alge, and an acoustic version of "Hero/Heroine" as bonus tracks.[14] On October 16, "Hero/Heroine" was released to mainstream radio.[10]
From early March to early May 2008, the band supported Avril Lavigne on her The Best Damn World Tour in the US.[15] "Thunder" was released to top 40 radio stations[16] on May 6.[10] In July and August, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Good Charlotte, with support from Metro Station and the Maine, dubbed the Soundtrack of Your Summer tour.[16] In between dates on this tour, the band performed at various Six Flags locations as part of the mtvU Video Music Awards Tour.[17] In September and October, the band went on the Verizon College tour with Cute Is What We Aim For and Lights.[18] In January 2009, the band went on a tour of the UK with Metro Station.[19] In 2016, the band went on tour for the tenth anniversary of the album and played the record in its entirety.