NLT: Following In (Probably Too) Many Boy-Band Traditions

The OneRepublic-vocalist-produced “Karma” by the new boy band NLT seems to be catching a little bit of fire, or at least has a viral-marketing team that knows about the world of pop-music blogs behind its push. The song is an early-’00s-informed bit of pop-radio playlist filler, and the group, which is apparently something of a redemptive product for B2K svengali Chris Stokes, seems to be the Mach 2008 version of the classic boy band. It’s made up of four just-shy-of-20 dudes who are just cute enough and just threatening enough, and who have as one member someone named “V.” Watching this video, I noted that NLT also carried on important boy-band traditions, as if to honor the boys to men who have traveled in the streaming-girl-strewn path they hope to ride an Escalade down.

• A dumb acronym for a name. “NLT,” which may be one of the most innocuous names in the world (everyone knows you need vowels to stick out!), stands for “Not like them.” Perhaps that means they are not like these guys:

They’re actually into girls who shop at Hollister.

• An extended dance sequence in a well-lit hallway.

Although Justin Timberlake et al never had the presence of mind to sing in front of an illuminated equals sign. Mathy!

• A sequence where it seems they are crawling around the hair on someone else’s head.

Let’s hope that this means they’ll be going the “surrealism as a way to show their disgust with the biz” route early.

NLT – Karma (Official video) [DailyMotion via Chris Picks] LFO – Summer Girls [YouTube] NSync – Bye, Bye, Bye [DailyMotion] The Monkees – HEAD (Dandruff) [YouTube]