Boys Night Out

Burlington, ON, home to departed screamo kings Grade, continues its fine legacy with recent Ferret signings Boysnightout. Not terribly groundbreaking, but forging an excellent synthesis of emo/pop-punk with metallic hardcore, Boysnightout does recall Grade, at times, but their sound is more regimented, switching between harsh and poppy then back again, going for contrast to strengthen the dynamic. At their most melodic, they are more upbeat and boisterous; their playful bounce is never more apparent than on the intro to "A Torrid Love Affair," where they come close to an Atom and His Package level of nerdiness. However, in stark contrast to the deluge of melodies, sing-alongs and clean singing, well, besides all the screaming and metal, is the lyrical content of Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses. Oddly enough, tales of murder and Mr. Blonde-like kill-crazy rampages have seemed to have replaced the pining over of lost loves and girls with even thicker glasses than yours so prevalent in the emo/screamo continuum. Apparently it was only a matter of time before the sadness rotted into hate and gave rise to ruin. And the thought of 16-year-olds singing along to killing sprees and suicidal wishes is truly insidious and disturbing. With Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses, Boysnightout proves that a spoon full of sugar helps the arsenic go down.