Anyone who thinks that indie music only includes tunes that make the ears bleed is in for a totally different experience when they listen to Boys Like Girls. The Boston band formed in 2005 and released their debut self-titled album in August.

The album is a collection of listener friendly hits, chock full of poppy guitar licks surrounded with heavy beats and the occasional dabble into a hard driving riff; apparent on the video single, Hero/Heroine. Lead singer Martin Johnson has a signature sound that is also reminiscent of some of the better light rock acts on radio, such as the All-American Rejects and Dashboard Confessional (the latter of whom the band counts among its influences, along with Jimmy Eat World). Don’t let the tone fool you, though, Johnson is perfectly capable of hitting lower tones as he demonstrates in the acoustic version of Thunder.

Listeners looking for heavy social messages might not be totally satisfied with Boys Like Girls, whose themes revolve around romance and relationships. Nevertheless, the band does take a step in the right direction with songs like Dance Hall Drug, discouraging the trends among today’s youth to leave their childhood behind too early.

For a band that has just formed, Boys Like Girls definitely produces a sound that makes it seem as though they have been together for a while. Some good advice might be to catch them early if you like indie music, because the sound they put out is exactly the sort that people are listening to.