Album Review - "Crazy World EP" by Boys Like Girls

I have to admit I was a lot more excited for this EP than I was letting on. I have had some issues with the change in their line up (some big issues) and I've had some issues with the direction in which they seem to be promoting things, (still not sure why they released the EP and not just moved the album date up and gave us a single for the radio like Matchbox Twenty is doing but this is Boys Like Girls! They're back. It'll be an EP of Martin crooning with at least two of the best musicians floating around pop music right now backing him.

Not so much.

The single, "Be Your Everything" is great. I'd heard leaked versions and live acoustic versions and I still have a copy of Martin singing it by himself last summer. It's gorgeous. It's so very Boys Like Girls. Everything we missed, everything we wanted. The single on the EP is a touch over-produced in my mind, but it's forgivable. That's not saying I don't like it, I just feel like it doesn't need that, but I do know a radio song these days kind of does. It's still fantastic though.

The rest of the Crazy World EP isn't.

I don't even really know where to start with "The First Time" which sounds kind of like a country song, but not a great one and while it starts to grow on you after a while, it's has this heavy synth line that intros the song and actually takes away from it. The first time I heard it I made a face. The second time through it was better, but I'm not sure I'm going to ever really like the album version. Hopefully they drop the synth when they play it live.

As for "Life of the Party"? I don't even know where to start. I know that I don't like it. I know it sounds like a bad country party song with what I can only liken to some sort of hip hop inspired speaking the background. Anyone could have sung it (if we're counting that as singing) which puts it well below Martin's ability and it's entirely unnecessary to ever have "do you know that that smells like / smells like Boys Like Girls is back" spoken in the song. Completely.

I hope the album has more in store, but I have to admit...I'm starting to worry. I wanted this to be better. I wanted to get the same feel back, but BLG seems to be headed in a new direction. And while I'm supporter of bands maturing their sound and heading in new directions? I'm just not sure they know which direction they want to head in specifically. They seemed to be more trying more than one at a time and it comes across as sloppy.

I'll keep hoping for better, but for now? Grab the single and hold out to hear the rest of the album before you click 'buy'.

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