The Naked & Famous leaped into the wild rumpus in 2010 with their breakout track “Young Blood,” which has frontwoman Alisa Xayalith wailing longingly over melancholy, bass-driven synth pop. Xayalith met composer Thom Powers in college, where they started making poppy, grungy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs-inspired tracks for their earlier EPs This Machine and No Light. They recruited more studio brains like bassist David Beadle, drummer Jesse Wood, and synth/electronics manipulator Aaron Short to throw down the LP Passive Me, Aggressive You spanning the lighthearted “Young Blood” and “Punching in a Dream” to the sludgier “A Wolf In Geek’s Clothing.”

For them, getting famous in New Zealand was a no-brainer.  The band is slowly taking over the world too.  It won’t be long before they join the all-star echelon of MGMT, Dirty Projectors, Passion Pit, Animal Collective, and the hoards of superstar bands that tug on those wild, anxious, dancing heart strings.  Try as you might to steal a glimpse of Naked & Famous’ feral inner children, however, they’re pretty cagey when they’re not writing music. Like a lot of brilliant, early 20s-aged new kids on the major label block, they proceed with caution. You wouldn’t even know they were excited. If you’re looking for the nudists, the punks, the nihilists, or the A-holes, their untamed music is as close as you’ll get.

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