Boy Blue

Carving out a middle ground between Death Cab for Cutie’s wistful pop and Passion Pit’s revved-up synths, Milwaukee’s Boy Blue flirts with indie-rock and dance music alike without fully limiting themselves to the conventions of either. The follow-up to last year’s I Liked You Better When EP, which nabbed them a 88.9 Radio Milwaukee Music Award for catchiest song of the year (“Robot Tube Socks”), the group’s just-released Words On Trial EP is even brighter and buzzier, all twitchy tempos, skyscraping synths and eager, sing-along hooks. - The Shepherd Express

The second non-remix EP by Milwaukees Boy Blue continues in the ’80s-inspired, post-punk, dance-oriented rocking of the band’s first album. It is as if late Joy Division/early New Order rebooted with a jolt of happiness. Retro? Very. The EP also has an air of accomplishment, however, thanks to Boy Blues slight re-tweak of the sound, which freshens the aesthetic, especially given the Midwest-accented vocals that belie the groups non-Mancunian origin. The next remix set beckons... - The Shepherd Express

“Boy Blue shared a similar shock and thanksgiving after winning catchiest song of the year. The band’s radio hit, “Robot Tube Socks,” seemed a no-brainer for the award. It’s a catchy song with an even catchier name — one the boys thought of while at the kitchen table. That, and after putting robot arms on a stack of amplifiers. The first track on Boy Blue’s EP had fans calling Radio Milwaukee and requesting that it be played. Keefe said callers would sing the keyboard melody they had stuck in their head. ” - Marquette Tribune

“Their success exploded after Boy Blue won “New Music Wednesdays” on Radio Milwaukee this past summer. Since April, Boy Blue’s most popular song, “Robot Tube Socks,” has been played almost every day. This song, among others, has such an energetic melody that it immediately gets people off their seats and dancing.” - Arches (Mil-Rock-Me)

Boy Blue is quite possibly the catchiest band in the New Ground Noise roster. Although the band knows how to craft a solid hook, they never use it as a crutch, progressing through the song with extended bridges and variations on repeated phrases. While the music is danceable with good pop sensibility, it also has a feeling of being genuine and uncontrived. With influences, such as Foals and Passion Pit, bands like Boy Blue have found ways to perform music leaning toward the pop end of the spectrum in a more progressive and interesting way. In recent months, listeners of 88.9 Radio Milwaukee have been able to hear Boy Blue’s single, “Robot Tube Socks” off of their 2011 I Liked You Better When EP. - New Ground Noise