The Boy Least Likely To

The Boy Least Likely To

The Boy Least Likely To is an English indie pop group from Wendover, Buckinghamshire, formed in 2002. The duo consists of Peter Hobbs and Jof Owen, who grow up in the same village, meet while at school and begin writing songs together. Hobbs is a composer and multi-instrumentalist, while Owen writes lyrics and sings.

Early releases and label

The group set up the independent label Too Young to Die to release their music. Their first single is the 7-inch Paper Cuts, released in 2003. They complete three singles and record their debut album before playing any live shows.

Albums and recognition

Their debut album, The Best Party Ever, is released in the United Kingdom in 2005 and later issued in the United States in 2006. It appears in Pitchfork’s top 50 albums of 2005 and is ranked number 8 in Rough Trade Shop’s top 100 albums of that year. Their second album, The Law Of the Playground, is released in 2009.

Style and artwork

The band describe their sound as “Country Disco” and are associated with indie pop and folk. They are also known for their colourful artwork, which features characters drawn by Jof Owen’s brother, Tim. The artwork for the second album uses 3D versions of these drawings that are knitted.

Touring and wider profile

In 2006, the group tour the United Kingdom with Razorlight and are included in a Rolling Stone top ten bands list for that year. Their touring line-up commonly includes Alistair Hamer on drums, Adam Chetwood on guitar, Anthony Bishop on bass, Bahar Brunton on keys and violin, and Amanda Applewood on keys, backing vocals and cakes.

Related details

The band start work on their second album in 2006 and later share two songs from the project online in 2008. Their music is released on Pastel Music.