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

I WANT YOU BACK.

Of the hotly tipped bands at SXSW '09 only Local Natives and New Villager were both unsigned and previously unproven in the presence of industry types, and A&R's from New York and London packed out venues all week to see the much hyped West Coast acts for the first time. New Villager succumbed to poor sound systems and a heavy dependence on backing tracks, but Local Natives flourished in the spotlight, consistently dropping jaws all week long. Their forthcoming debut album, Gorilla Manor, walks the line between The Dodos and Cold War Kids with rollicking percussion and melodies to die for, and if the response so far is any indication the Silverlake five-piece are going to have A&R's crawling all over one another trying to lock them down them in the months to come.

MP3: "Airplanes" - Local Natives

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