The Naked and Famous

With a number of successful EPs and the single ‘Young Blood’ already under their belt, The Naked and Famous is an up-and-coming band to keep your eyes on. Through their combination of elements of lush dreampop, brittle ambience and sparky electronic rock, The Naked and Famous appeal to the hippest ears in the New Zealand.

Their rise, which went largely under the radar, has taken place in reverse order. The two founding band members and songwriters, Thomas Powers and Alisa Xaylaith, put together their first lo-fi EPs (No Light and This Machine) in a bedroom back in 2008. Only after the release of their debut demo were they taken on by the Round Trip Mars label and then Encore Management. Aaron Short came on board to help with the production side, and soon became a permanent member of the band. By 2009 The Naked and Famous were a solid quintet with the arrival of Jesse Wood and David Beadle.

The visually enigmatic videos for All Of This and Young Blood were on high rotate on radio and TV, causing The Naked and Famous’ reputation to soar. With a sound like theirs, and the release of their highly-anticipated album ‘Passive Me, Aggressive You’ in 2010, expect the Naked and Famous to become just that; famous.