Chicago five-piece Empires had never played New York City before their Thursday night CMJ showcase at Fat Baby, but you wouldn't know it from the packed crowd singing and clapping along.

The stage and sound was dominated by drummer Ryan Luciani, while frontman and keyboardist Sean Van Vleet pressed his hand against the low ceiling and played two new tracks to complement a set of songs from the band's self-released first album, 'Howl.' After forming in 2006 when guitarist Tom Conrad parted ways with the Chicago band The Academy Is, the then-nameless band spent all of 2007 clandestinely recording their first album, sacrificing live shows in favor of getting a perfect sound on record. The result is a sweeping album that doesn't really come off as a first effort and spans from sunny-pop songs like 'Believe' to the rockin' howl-along 'I Want Blood'.

Empires, rounded out by bassist Alfred Smith and guitarist Max Steger, put out that album directly to the Internet in 2008 as a free download on their website. In its first two months alone 'Howl' was downloaded and shared more than 25,000 times, and thousands of listeners have continued the trend. Thus, while the band remained primarily touring in the Midwest for the past year, their fans have sprouted worldwide without any traditional marketing push.

As a result of their grassroots effort the New York show was filled with enthusiastic fans from all over the northeast, singing every word including the newest songs, as well as the requisite label scouts every unsigned band hopes for at a CMJ event. While the band is already working on a new album, they're also, according to various band members Twitter feeds, considering a move to New York, presumably to help further their fan base. Based on their reception this week, New York will welcome Empires with open arms.