INTRODUCING: POPSHOP WEST.

Westward expansion was only a matter of time, and now the Neon Gold manifest destiny has been fully realized as Popshop West is born. Back for the very first time, we're teaming up with Hit City USA to bring our monthly NYC mainstay to the fairer coast, kicking off Monday April 9th with a very special, very FREE launch party at The Echoplex. Headlining are none other than everyone's favorite new band HAIM, with support from white hot LA heatseekers Wildcat! Wildcat! and Ko Ko. Then on the decks we've got our resident DJ's Captain Cuts, keeping things moving all night long alongside westside partystarters Guns In The Sun. It all kicks off April 9th from 8pm to late for the low, low price of FREE AS SHIT, so come out and get involved LA, it's gonna be a good ass night. RSVP: RSVP@neongoldrecords.com.

DOWNLOAD: "Forever" - HAIM


DOWNLOAD: "Mr. Quiche" - Wildcat! Wildcat!


STREAM: "Float" - KO KO


STREAM: "Colours (Captain Cuts Remix)" - Grouplove

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THE GIRL WON'T STAY.

Ko Ko is yet another band staking claim to the Californian goldmine of talent that's about to sweep the nation. Opening with candy coated whistles that will literally make your mouth water, "Float" is a heavenly paradigm that sounds like a summer-salted highball of Fun and Coconut Records. Their sunbeaming vocals and spine-tingling harmonies drift across a carefree backbeat that's basically a publisher's dream come true, like the vibrant love child of Feist's "1, 2, 3, 4" and Edward Sharpe's "Home". Your summer anthem's arrived a couple months early, but something tells us no one's going to mind.

MP3: "Float" - Ko Ko

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THEY COULD SHOOT BUT THAT'S NO FUN.

West Coast mystery kids The Neighbourhood arrive on the scene out of nowhere with not one, but two incredible tracks to their name, swinging for the fences and beyond on their first at bat. Taking their hooky brand of California indie and infusing it with slick hip hop production, it's the kind of thing you might expect if Cold War Kids made a record in Lana Del Rey's universe.

Tolling bells and desperate shouts set the scene on the Lynchian undertaking that is "Female Robbery", before the slow reveal introduces the weaponized guitars and empire-toppling Massive Attack production that drives the song towards its fatalist conclusion. They follow it up with "Sweater Weather" today and raise the bar even higher, as crooned vocals flow breezily over a cozy bassline before going doubletime on a supercharged chorus that rewires your entire emotional thermostat. It's a debut one-two punch the likes of which we haven't heard in ages, and when a stammering, stuttering Zane Lowe comes in at the end of the "Sweater Weather" radio rip, you can't blame him; this is shock and awe. Best to get on the bandwagon now then, as this lot look set to take over in a big way in the months to come, one neighborhood at a time.

STREAM: "Female Robbery" - The Neighbourhood


DOWNLOAD: "Sweater Weather" - The Neighbourhood

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ALL YOU REALLY WANTED FROM ME.

If Haim are the best new LA band already on everyone's radar, then Wildcat! Wildcat! are next in line to bowl people over. It was their Royal Tenenbaums-inspired calling card and flawless aesthetic that first caught our eye, but it wasn't long before the trio's technicolor serendipity pop had us hook, line and sinker. With vocals that flit between the chronic lightness of Passion Pit and Active Child and keys mined from the darkest depths of Miike Snow's imagination, Wildcat create a bristling soundscape like no other. Multi-tiered synths build up and crumble like sovereign empires, with smoke breaks in between to recharge the self-destructive cycle, flawless production leaving the whole affair shining resplendently throughout. Get familiar with Wildcat! Wildcat! and their debut offering "Mr. Quiche" below, as this lot are sure to be turning serious heads in the months to come.

DOWNLOAD: "Mr. Quiche" - Wildcat! Wildcat!

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YOU FUCKED ME UP.

Dudes. Why'd no one tell us LA can be kind of alright sometimes? We just spent a week out there and we're pretty sure we're finally getting the hang of it. It still doesn't hold a candle to New York, but god damn if that west coast music scene isn't going through some sort of golden age renaissance period right now. So much so that we went ahead and fastracked our plans to launch Popshop West (announced later this week), but in the meantime, let's take a quick run through the incredible new bands making LA the hottest scene du jour in the world, starting with the best new band around, Haim.

Hate to say we told you so, but like, guys... we told you so. We had a hunch Haim would be the breakout stars of SXSW 2012, but we were nowhere near prepared for just how incredible they'd be. We're pretty fluent in hyperbole around these parts, but no amount of superlatives could properly communicate just how massive these girls are going to be. Never in our lives have we seen such a sure thing in this industry, and not since Mumford & Sons have we come across a band so thoroughly mind-blowing to anyone who encounters their live show, regardless of taste. So for now, feast your ears on "Better Off" (below) and their debut Forever EP (available for free download here), but be warned, it's just the tip of the iceberg - the live versions of the tracks are a whole new beast, and the massive new songs they have in waiting (see: "The Wire" and "Falling", "Let Me Go") have us all but certain that Haim could be the best (and biggest) band LA's produced in years.

MP3: "Better Off" - HAIM

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POPSHOP015: FLIGHT FACILITIES + YUKSEK

After three massive showcases at SXSW last week, we've got full-blown festival fever and we just can't seem to shake it. So much like last year's CMJ blowout, April's Popshop boasts a double-decker lineup of the very best new acts from around the world. In the DJ headline slot, we have none other than the legendary sky captains of tomorrow, Flight Facilities, accompanied by the very lovely Jess Higgs on live vocals. Immediately preceding them on the live stage will be the French electro maven himself Yuksek, making his NYC headline debut with a powered up three-piece live band (preview below). And as if all that wasn't enough, we've got Israel-via-London pop outfit, Tiger Love, kicking things off early and Aussie powerhouse '96 Bulls manning the upper decks late night.

Downstairs in the Pleasure Treasure room, you'll find club maestro Mighty Mouse holding it down with our Power Slug residents Headband and Hooligan until the early morn. Oh yeah, and there's also an open Bomb Lager bar for the first hour, just to guarantee a proper night of mayhem. It's all popping off on Thursday, April 5th, at Santos Party House. Tix are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, so get yours now HERE, you don't wanna miss our biggest Popshop to date.

STREAM: "Crave You" - Flight Facilities


STREAM: "On A Train" - Yuksek


STREAM: "Under Control" - Tiger Love


STREAM: "All Eyes On You ('96 Bulls Remix)" - St. Lucia


STREAM: "Cloudbusting (Mighty Mouse Re Work)" - Kate Bush


STREAM: "We Have Love (Headband Edit)" - Hot Chip


STREAM: "Atlas Gold" - Hooligan

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NEW SHAPES SXSW 2012.

This year, we're getting the New Shapes SXSW team back together again for one more run at the title, bringing you the pond-spanning best of the US, the UK, and beyond in one mega bill. Indoors and outdoors, we'll be using every square inch of the Red Eyed Fly. Outside, we've got Ambassadors, the enchanting Wild Belle, the UK's next great rock band Morning Parade, our resident dreamers Savoir Adore and St Lucia, and of course, the new loves of our life, HAIM. Inside, we've got the equally brilliant stylings of Nathaniel Rateliff, Daughter, Spinto Band, Chet Faker, and the incredible Charli XCX and Ben Howard as the icing on the proverbial cake. And as if that wasn't enough, Andy Rourke of The Smiths (legend) will also be manning the decks all day. It's all popping off March 15th, so get your RSVP in HERE and get involved.

OUTDOORS

12:15pm: Ambassadors // STREAM: "Unconsolable"

01:15pm: Wild Belle // STREAM: "Keep You"

02:15pm: Morning Parade // STREAM: "Headlights"

03:15pm: Savoir Adore // STREAM: "Dreamers"

04:15pm: St. Lucia // STREAM: "Before the Dive"

05:15pm: HAIM // STREAM: "Better Off"

INDOORS

11:45am: Nathaniel Rateliff // STREAM: "Shroud"

12:45pm: Daughter // DOWNLOAD: "Love"

01:45pm: Spinto Band // STREAM: "Take It"

02:45pm: Chet Faker // STREAM: "Terms and Conditions"

03:45pm: Charli XCX // STREAM: "Nuclear Seasons"

04:45pm: Ben Howard // STREAM: "The Wolves"

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