Album Review

The Like – He’s Not A Boy

• 7th Jun 2010

This is a catchy number, with funky 60s bass and a jaunty little melody. The Like is the girl band you used to dream about being in when you were little – remember the cartoon Josie and the Pussycats? This four-piece all-woman band from California can rock when they want to, and their song lyrics often appeal with their relevance and immediacy. A modern female take on love, and all its associated crap. It’s refreshing, and it’s fun.

He’s Not a Boy drips with nostalgia – the sound, the band’s look, the video, could all have been made back in the sixties. But while The Like’s vintage style contrasts amusingly with their modern attitude, it does keep us at a bit of a distance. It’s slick and it looks good, but it feels a little gimmicky. They’re a small step away from being a tribute band.

Which is a bit of a shame, because parts of He’s Not a Boy hint that singer Z Berg is capable of the kind of stretched-to-the-limit angsty vocals we appreciate from artists such as the mighty Florence. Combined with their sweet lyrics, we could hear some rather moving stuff. Music is a form of self-expression after all, and as four women dealing with life in 2010, The Like might have some interesting things to say.