Boys Lie - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Boys Lie. We discussed their 90s music influences, their split EP with Dry Spell, lyrical inspiration, plans for 2026, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Thank you so much for reaching out to us and giving us our first interview. Really appreciate the time and work.
Can you tell me how you started the band for those who may be unfamiliar with it? How did you become interested in music?
Boys Lie really started back in like early 2021, but the original line up didn’t stick around so it was in the development for a while. So afterwards I joined a band called Picture Naomi in late 2021 which helped fuel my passion to get back into music as they taught me a lot about songwriting and challenging myself as a guitarist as well. So when that naturally dissolved, I decided to get Boys Lie back in motion. Line up changes here and there, but luckily we’ve gotten onto some solid ground the past few months.
Gateway bands like blink-182, MxPx and Jimmy Eat World were what really got me interested into music. The whole ethos of doing it yourself and trying to stay as true to who you are when you write music is what caught my attention. Being able to rock out while having your heart on your sleeve is what we aim for. Nothing beats the good ole fashion guitar rock in my opinion.
Who are some of your biggest influences?
I think when I write Boys Lie songs the biggest influences come from different bands but all stem from the same scenes/genres. All of the 90s emo, indie, punk and power pop are what really fuel my songwriting for the band. For example, if you love bands like Jimmy Eat World, Saves The Day, The Get Up Kids, Jawbreaker, Alkaline Trio, Superdrag, No Knife, Hot Rod Circuit, Hey Mercedes, Brandtson and Spitalfield then we are probably the right band you should be listening to right now.
You recently released your split EP with Dry Spell. How did it work out for you to team up with that band for a split?
So last year I got very lucky to have been able to meet Fern from Dry Spell and Stay Tough Records because they had an opening slot to play at The Programme Skate And Sound. At the time Boys Lie was very new on social media and we had only one show under our belt and only just clips from practice. So it was the place to really show off our chops, and it was a disaster hahahaha. Our ex drummer at the time was being flakey for practices and our ex bassist did not want to go out far for shows.
So a good friend of mine Nick (who was the singer and guitarist from Picture Naomi) filled in on bass. The only problem was we had no drummer, but we got saved when the singer Finn from Bone Or Shark just casually filled in on drums and we were able to play 4 songs at least. It was super nerve wrecking, but Fern still liked the band and was eager to see us grow and wanted to put out our music. Extremely thankful to him for giving Boys Lie the chance and for us to redeem ourselves the second time we got to play at the Programme.
I really like the song “Absent Smile”. Can you tell me about writing that song? What was your musical and lyrical inspiration for it?
A lot of my songwriting gets birthed from being inspired from either a song or style. Absent Smile was sort of my tribute song and nod to The Get Up Kids. I had the main chords to the song for like a good year but suddenly one day when I was waiting for my car to get some work done on it. I just had the lyrical ideas of the song flowing to me, so I just started writing them down on my notes and then worked on them at home later. The lyrics are really just what I was feeling during that time in my life. The uncertainty of how you are feeling and whether or not the relationships you are in are even what you want or need. I think the opening line and chorus really encapsulates what the song really is about. Everything else like the opening guitar lead and solo just came about from practicing the song over and over again naturally.
The split came out on Stay Tough Records. How did you end up working with them for this split?
Like I said earlier Stay Tough Records already had interest in us to put out our music. So we were already casually recording music here and there, at a slow pace but it was coming together. So a few months ago we got a message saying they wanted to do a split of Boys Lie and Dry Spell. So we had to put ourselves in high gear and start getting everything together. It was basically all last minute, but we were able to do it just in time for the release show!
What do you have coming up for 2026? Are you working on new music? If so, what can you tell us about it so far?
2026 should be the year we focus a lot more on recording and trying to get ourselves to play shows with bands we haven’t crossed paths yet. One thing I really love is playing shows with friends, but it’s so exciting to play with bands from the local or touring scene that we haven’t played with yet. One thing I can say is, Boys Lie has a deep catalogue of songs we pick and choose from. So just expect more music to be recorded and released and new music on sets here and there.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Of course stream the Split EP we have with Dry Spell from Stay Tough Records! Most importantly support your local scene and be open minded to new and exciting things. Also come out to a show and get some of our free merch and perhaps buy some of our DIY made t-shirt prints that my talented partner makes (she does all the art for the band and did the art for the Split EP). Finally a big thanks to any and everyone who really supported Boys Lie from any time of the band being around. Big thanks to Ortzi, Esteban and Nik who are in the Boys Lie. Can never be thankful enough to the family, friends, bands, Stay Tough Records and acquaintances we’ve made along the way!
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