Somehow — despite being on our list for the Top 25 Bands of 2010, Brooklyn’s Sleigh Bells haven’t even put out a single album. They rode through CMJ’s buzz waves with just two songs on their MySpace. They ventured to SXSW without a record deal. But now it seems they’ve officially arrived. Signed to M.I.A.’s N.E.E.T. Records just over a month ago, the Sri Lankan singer just tweeted their album art and release date for the upcoming Treats.

The new album is dropping May 11th, M.I.A. tweeted. And yes, that’s the cover art to the right. I personally cannot wait to pick up this record. When the MTV IGGY team was compiling the list for the Top 25 Bands of 2010, I couldn’t help shouting like a whiny kid for my vote: SLEIGH BELLS! The Brooklyn duo gnashes out songs that I wrote sound like “a marshmallow cream-puff coated in chrome.” Pop songs glide through heavy distortion, reverb, and some shredding guitars meant for metal songs.

Basically, this band is like the mash-up of what I like (female singers, lo-fi fizz) and my boyfriend does (tightly written guitar rock, metal). And I’m already planning my life around their 5/11 show with Cult at Bushwick’s Masonic Temple.

What do we think this album cover portends? I think of the musical equivalent of a cheerleader and I think girly pop, Britney Spears… Whoever washed out these faces hates that stuff. But the lady doth protest too much… Sleigh Bells’ new record is both an ode and an admonishment to pop, in the way that every death threat hides a love letter.

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Compiled Rumors About M.I.A.’s New Album, Including Release Date!