Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls formed less than four years ago, but the Boston pop-rock quartet has already toured with bands like Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects and Metro Station. The band's 2006 self-titled debut has gone gold on the strength of their catchy hooks and online presence. We caught up with the group and asked: What's it like to play with the big boys?

What's it like to be such a young band with seemingly overnight success?

We definitely worked really hard to get where we are. We were all in different bands growing up, trying to find the right one, and when we all got together to form Boys Like Girls we knew it was right. After that, we still toured for about a year and a half playing shows to 100 kids that didn't know us. We have toured and worked constantly without going home at all, so maybe that is why it worked quicker for us than other bands who tour just a few months out of the year.

You've said "the age of the demo tape is over." How did you get signed?

Back in the '80s and '90s you needed to make a demo tape and try any way possible to get it to someone at a record label to listen to. Nowadays, bands record songs, put them online, and if kids like the music it will get popular online so the record labels will find it. This is a great way for bands to get signed because they already have a solid following of people who like the music before it goes mainstream.

What we did was pretty much that. We got together and recorded a few songs, played a bunch of shows, and when kids started telling their friends, our songs got popular on PureVolume.com and MySpace.com. Then people at our label and management found it and got in contact with us.

How do you distinguish yourself from the rest of the bands on MySpace and PureVolume?

I think it's great that kids are taking advantage of the Internet to get their music out there. I think our music is very catchy and easy to relate to, which is very important. It is memorable to people. The four of us also have a great work ethic and never give up or take breaks, we play every show we possibly can and try to connect with all of our fans who come out to shows, which is also very important.

What do you think of the comparisons of Boys Like Girls to Jimmy Eat World and All-American Rejects?

Those are both awesome bands who we all love. Although we write our own music and don't try to sound like anyone else, I think people compare new music to something they already know, just because there is really no other way to explain what a band sounds like to someone else without actually hearing it. And if people want to compare us to those two bands, cool.