Discovered and promoted through the miracle of the Internet, Hockey are taking no chances with their sudden unexpected attention.

Why the big fuss? Well, the same noises are being made about the Portland, Ore. band as a decade ago when the Strokes crashed onto the scene. Hockey's bright, anthemic pop nods to the skinny-tie New York New Wave of Julian Casablancas and Co. but also leans toward the dirty funk of LCD Soundsystem. Singer Ben Grubin may be a slight, boyish figure, but he has a deep, growling voice, one that takes the band's music in a much more soulful direction than its typically indie-rock threads might at first hint.

Now, they've had to swap the familiarity of the Pacific Northwest for the tour-tour-tour tyranny that makes or breaks hotly tipped bands. It's only July, and already Hockey are on their sixth visit to the UK this year. Not bad for a band who this time last year were playing shows to almost-empty rooms."We did our own tour last year in the States, which was just laughable," says bass player Jeremy Reynolds over a pub lunch in London. "We played for two people and a bartender in Phoenix, five people in Albuquerque and then 25 people in Houston, Texas. And the next year we're playing Glastonbury."

It may help that Hockey have taken a little time to get going. The band started as a two-piece, with Californians Reynolds and Grubin playing with the aid of a drum machine. Eventually, after picking up drummer Anthony Stassi and guitarist Brian White, they moved to Portland. It's a city with a formidable indie rock pedigree: The Dandy Warhols, the Decemberists, the Gossip and M Ward all call it home. And Hockey found they fit in just fine.

The notoriously bad weather doesn't hurt. "It's very British," Reynolds says with a laugh. "It's another reason why it's so art-centric. There's a good seven or eight months a year of inside time."

Thanks partly to the grey skies, 'Mind Chaos' was pretty much finished even before the band got a deal. The album is out in August, though the band have already released the singles 'Too Fake' and 'Learn to Lose'. The '80s shtick of 'Too Fake' -- synths, electronic drums and handclaps -- marries well with Grubin's wracked voice. The Strokes comparisons hold weight, but the overall sound is less New Wave and more like a slice of synth-loving '80s pop given a contemporary makeover.

And Hockey are surprised at how fast the word is spreading. "I just had a message from a friend who told me he heard one of our songs in Grenada in the Caribbean," Grubin says, "and someone's heard us in Chile ... It's just weird. It still feels fragile."

Like it could all disappear overnight?

"We deal with that every day," says Reynolds. "I wonder if things change when you actually have a record out?" Hockey will soon know.



Check out our exclusive video of Hockey performing 'Wanna be Black'