Boys Night Out are the latest Canadian import to try their hand at this thing called pop/punk. Blending the overly infectious style with crunchy hardcore and hints of emocore, these men have attempted to cross-pollinate these genres and invent a new species of indie music. They released the "Broken Bones And Bloody Kisses" EP in 2002 through One Day Savior, quickly amassing a throng of excited fans and interest from buzzworthy independent label Ferret Music. After constant touring and a bout of recording these musicians have returned with "Make Yourself Sick", a stylish full-length debut that wishes not to nauseate but rejuvenate the indie community.

This is a slight departure from "Broken Bones & Bloody Kisses", finding the band turning towards a decidedly more emo style. Where the band once seemed intent on merging pop/punk with more intense tones, they now have focused on their more emotive elements. There is still a satisfying amount of heaviness scattered throughout the record, and on songs such as "(Just Once) Let's Do Something Different" the two differing styles are highly compatible. For all of its strengths though, the largest detractor found on "Make Yourself Sick" is within its very own lyrics. The vast majority of the songs found within are built around the feelings of an overly emotional lovelorn musician, providing depth equivalent to that of distraught young lover's live journal. Writing about love is not in and of itself a damning offense, in fact it is the exact opposite, but in the manner depicted here these songs carry a nauseating obsession with heartache. Boys Night Out seem trapped in this formulaic nightmare of emo proportions, sacrificing otherwise average tunes with the insistence on burdening themselves with teenage angst, bitterness, and other jaded cliches.

These musicians have united to form a stronger design scheme, allowing their songs to flow much more fluidly than before. Where their past pop/punk meets hardcore collisions often felt slapped together, the band have now streamlined the procedure and found a more effective way of melding the two styles together. Unfortunately, it appears as though Boys Night Out have aspirations to be yet another predictable emocore statistic, awash with lyrical concepts which have been beaten to death by seemingly every group who have struggled with relationships. There is a formidable amount of quality songs captured here to satiate those looking for heartfelt aggression, but the abundance of weepy tracks have the tendency to wear thin and could push the hardcore following further away, making this an album that shamefully lives up to it's title.