“I like to listen to music that makes me feel a certain way–either it reminds me of something important that happened or a certain time in my life,” says Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson. “If kids are feeling that way about our songs, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The band from Boston — which also includes John Keefe (drums), Bryan Donahue (bass) and Paul DiGiovanni (lead guitar) — is paying that feeling forward by focusing on making lasting connections with its fans. And what better way to reach out to die-hard fans in Asia by jetting down specially to raise pulses at MTV World Stage “Live in Malaysia”.

This intent is clear from the first note of their self-titled debut disc, which kicks off with the youthful enthusiasm of “The Great Escape” and closes with the “what’s next?” sentiment of ballad “Holiday.” In between is emotionally-charged rock that isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve, and certainly speaks volumes to anyone who has loved, and maybe gotten their heart bruised in the process.

After years of playing in various bands throughout their high school days, John, Bryan and Martin solidified the BLG line-up with Paul (who, after joining the band, was discovered to be John’s cousin). Then, like most smart bands, the guys posted some demos online.

An early demo version of “The Great Escape” and acoustic spin on “Thunder” were the sparks that ignited a firestorm of attention on the band’s MySpace and purevolume.com pages. By the end of 2005, the guys were topping the purevolume.com “New Artists chart”, and gathering a strong following of listeners.

Amongst those listening online were booking agent Matt Galle (Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance) and producer Matt Squire (Panic At The Disco) who felt that special something in Boys Like Girls’ demos. They contacted the band about working together. Plans and friendships were made. The guys penned more music for their eventual debut disc and were invited to play on the national Pure Volume tour with A Thorn for Every Heart and Hit the Lights. It was an honor for the young band, and the guys’ first taste of their swelling fan base.

“It was pretty amazing,” recalls Johnson. “We didn’t really know what to expect from just posting a couple of demos. But when we were able see the people on the other side of the computer in person, we saw that they were singing the words to our songs. It was incredible.”

The band took that energy and headed into the studio with Matt Squire, and the Boys Like Girls sound started to gel.

“Matt puts a lot of heart into the music he works on, and he did with ours,” says Johnson. “He is really amazing at bringing stuff to another level sonically, tweaking things in just the right spots to make it perfect.”

And a lot of heart is what can be felt when listening to the band’s latest single “Love Drunk”, a song which warms in all the right places.

Boys Like Girls will continue to give their everything. The fans are already listening. Are you?

For more information on Boys Like Girls:
www.boyslikegirls.com
www.purevolume.com/boyslikegirls
www.myspace.com/boyslikegirls