To My Boy. Not to be confused with the hilarious Mollie Sugden sitcom ‘That’s My Boy’, whatever Google might tell you. To My Boy is a two piece from Liverpool and Sheffield, comprising Jack Snape and Sam White. All their music is self recorded and produced on their computers, which definitely gives it that home-made, ramshackle feel. Is it an insult or a compliment to be considered a DIY band? Does it denote a certain amateurism? Or does it represent the ultimate in creative freedom?

Well, this is certainly not the cutting edge sound of now, nor is it a dated mess of outmoded styles. They sound like a cross between DIY pop punks Dweeb (though easier on the ear) and Nebraska’s dance orientated wonders The Faint, without their hysterical flamboyance. It also sounds like the sort of music Mute would have been happy to release back in the early 80′s. Songs like Metal and Model are stuttering pulses of rhythm and keyboard stabs, snappy drum pre-sets crackling in the background.

They are also capable of some great songs. Eliminate is really good, as is The Grid, which wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Belouis Some record. Tell Me Computer is an excellent opener, throbbing along nicely before bursting into sound. However, at times the relentless retro does get a little tiresome as one song merges into another piece of DIY technobabble. Though skilful at times, the lack of variety makes this an album of few songs, and lots of repetition.
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Links
To My Boy [official site] [myspace]