Kevin Bronson on December 30th, 2015

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Wouldn’t dare let 2015 pass without another missive from the synth-pop world. L.A.-based quartet Transviolet went from zero (a “grassroots” viral campaign that included mailing out unmarked cassettes, and then a post of the song “Girls Your Age”) to Hype Machine sensations in a matter of months this year, culminating in the September release of their self-titled EP. The quartet — singer Sarah McTaggart along with Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia — are riding a crest of emoji-filled online support and some celebrity endorsements, including one from Central Coast homie Katy Perry. McTaggart was reared in Atascadero and then on the island of Grand Cayman, and her lyrics and vocals (at the times they are mercifully left unprocessed by the production) elevate the songs on the EP above the aural annoyances of artists like Halsey and Holychild. “Girls your age / never mean what they say,” she sings on the big single, during which lyrically (and, subtly, vocally) she ages a little bit. Transviolet are working on their full-length for Epic, so 2016 promises to be a big year.

||| Stream: “Girls Your Age” and “New Bohemia”