The Beach Boys are not a band.
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys , released on May 16 , 1966 . The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne , California , in 1961 . The group 's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian , Dennis , and Carl Wilson ; their cousin Mike Love ; and their friend Al Jardine . Since the 1980s , much-publicized legal wrangling over royalties , songwriting credits and use of the band 's name transpired .