Youngblood Hawke

Cut from the same colorful cloth as upbeat indie pop contemporaries like Fun., Jukebox the Ghost, Walk the Moon, and Imagine Dragons, Youngblood Hawke, named after a 1961 Herman Wouk novel based on the life of Thomas Wolfe, was formed in 2011 by former members of new wave revivalists Iglu and Hartly. Featuring the talents of longtime friends Sam Martin and Simon Katz, along with Tasso Smith, Alice Katz, and Nik Hughes, the Los Angeles-based quintet's sunny disposition and adherence to life-affirming, danceable electro-pop impressed Universal Republic, who signed the group and released their eponymous debut EP in 2012. In 2013, Youngblood Hawke returned with their first full-length album, Wake Up, featuring the single "We Come Running." Over the next few years, the band toured and continued to work on new material, delivering such singles as "Landslide" with Vicetone, and "Knock Me Down." Another non-album single, "Trust," appeared in 2018. ~ James Christopher Monger