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Louis XIV

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Sounds Like: More attacks from T. Rex than in Jurassic Park, but it’s not just a flair for glam rock that sews the sequins on this ten-song sequence. Singer Jason Hill totally said “neato” and checked his libido on lead single “Finding Out True Love Is Blind,” making a breathy, throbbing come-on to ladies like “Chocolate Girl” and “Carrot Juice,” a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet of lascivious delights. “Illegal Tender” and “Hey Teacher” mine dumptruck loads of Stonesian riffs that leave Louis XIV just an iPod commercial away from superstardom. Jerk it out, baby.

Fun Facts: The band’s tunes made their way into the offices of influential UK rock rag NME after Spin‘s Ultragrrrl put out a three-song Louis XIV single last fall on her Stolen Transmission label; the 500-copy pressing sold out in just two months. Their hometown radio station, San Diego’s 91X, started spinning a rough mix of “Finding Out True Love is Blind” and the band’s independently released debut started moving serious units; the track stood out in a town whose musical lynchpins included Blink-182, Switchfoot, and Jason Mraz. Touring in 2004 with the Killers and the Von Bondies as an as-yet unsigned band helped them ink a deal with Atlantic Records later in the year. Their debut full-length, The Best Little Secrets Are Kept, is out March 22nd.