Kevin Bronson on September 8th, 2011

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Ben Trokan’s story is a familiar one to any indie band that lived in the major-label margins last decade. His band Robbers on High Street made two albums and two EPs for Warner imprint New Line Records between 2005 and ’07 before the relationship soured. “Everything ground to a halt,” Trokan says. “The label was not responsive, people stopped returning phone calls, we had no idea what was going on.”

||| Download: “Hey Unbelievers” (via KEXP)

The seeds of Robbers’ chipper comeback album “Hey There Golden Hair” (out next Tuesday) were sown after Trokan took some time off to regroup, then in 2009 began “nights-and-weekends” recording sessions with engineer Matt Shane. The finished product – featuring contributions from a horn section on loan from Daptone Records – is a collection of mercilessly hooky pop gems that get in and out your face in 3 1/2 minutes and seem to be missing only the crackle of an AM radio.

“We’ve evolved into a different band since 2007,” says Trokan, now surrounded by a lineup that includes bassist/horn player Morgan King, singer/keyboardist Dave Sherman, singer/guitarist Nadir Naqvi and percussionists Mikey Post and Doug Rumpf. “The influences are the same, but everything is a bit sunnier, which I think is the result of having a lot of time to work on the songs. More harmonies, more keyboards, everything more realized.”

And if you hear a little of ’60s/’70s hitmakers like the Grassroots on “Golden Hair,” that suits Trokan fine. “I’m a huge fan of ’70s AM radio,” he says, “and that’s how the arrangements for these worked out.”

The album’s carefree vibe comes from a songwriter who’s probably less self-conscious than he was back in the day. “We’ve been around a while, and we’re doing this ourselves,” Trokan says, “so I feel like I don’t give a f*ck. The music is standing on its own legs, it’s not overhyped, and it’s happening at a pace we’re comfortable with.

“I still pay attention to what’s out there – I’m still hanging out and listening to rock ’n’ roll,” he adds. “But it’s funny. Now I meet somebody in a bar who tells me ‘I used to listen to you guys in high school.'”

||| Live: Robbers on High Street play the Roxy on Thursday, Sept. 15, supported by the Allah Las and the Street & Babe Shadow (with Buzz Bands LA DJing the night).

Photo by Lizzie Leigh