One Direction And The Wanted: Boy-Band Vets Size Them Up!

It's been since the late 1990s that boy bands were as prevalent as they are today, and by the looks of it, it seems as if they are going to stick around for a while.

The Wanted are currently working on their U.S. debut album, while their fellow VMA Best New Artist Nominees, One Direction, just announced that their new single. "Live While We're Young," will drop in October, one month before their sophomore album hits stores.

Yet, they aren't the only boy bands set to release new material; the veterans are making their way in the studio as well. New Kids on the Block, the Backstreet Boys and the recently reunited, 98 Degrees are all slated to release new albums in 2013.

MTV News caught up with NKOTB and 98 Degrees recently at the MixTape Festival in Hershey, Pennsylvania, where we asked them what they thought of the current crop of boy bands.

"That music is always cyclical of course, especially here in the states," Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees said. "Boy bands go away, but all over the rest of the world, Europe, Asia, they never go away, there's always boy bands prevalent all over the place. It's good that they're back here in the States. The Wanted and One Direction: they're great bands, talented kids, good looking kids, all the best to them."

However, there is one thing they wish they had back then that One Direction and the Wanted have now: good stylists.

"They have much better styling now than we did back in 1999," Drew Lachey said.

Timmons added, "No silver suits, no fireman's outfits."

"I don't think anyone wore as bad of outfits as we did back in the late '90s," Nick Lachey said.

But, New Kids on the Block did bring up one problem that they have with the new wave of boy bands, and that is they don't have any signature dance moves.

"Why don't they dance?" Joey McIntyre asked.

Donnie Wahlberg added, "As long they don't lip sync. If you don't dance and you lip sync that's a double oxymoron, you can't do that."

Who reigns supreme in the boy-band world: '90s veterans or hot, new British bands? Let us know in the comments!