HOW THEY ROCK: After a flurry of dates over the summer and fall, including a support slot on Jet’s tour, the retro-tinged dark-pop-rock outfit is now preparing its much-anticipated EP. Tracks like “Viva Modula,” full of catchy riffs and near-guilt-inducing danceability, and the glibly titled “Yeah Yeah Sweet,” which boasts surfy guitar layered over relentlessly groovy bass lines, have already broken through and gotten heavy airplay on Indie 103. Live, their appeal is immediate: Drums thunder with just enough power to inspire booty-shaking, guitar hooks weasel instantly into memory, and vocals are low and sexy in that singer-who-can-pull-off-wearing-a-neckerchief kind of way.

CHECK OUT THE BIG BRAIN ON BLOODCAT: They cite the Beat poets, Bukowski, Serge Gainsbourg and the Velvet Underground as both musical and style heroes.

BUT WHO ARE THEY? Native New Zealander Myles Hendrik — who built a reputation spinning at the (recently defunct) hipster dance mecca Pash! — has lived in the U.S. “just long enough to know this country makes lousy chocolate.” The foursome is rounded out by a flock o’ chums: bassist Nicholas Oja, guitarist Dion Lunadon, and Claudia Rossi on drums. Hendrik says their union felt intuitive and “immediate,” but it’s incomplete: The band is looking to adopt a guitarist before blazing into Texas for SXSW.

BOOTIE 101: Has his DJ work affected his rock? Hendrik says yes: “Deejaying gives you insight into what commands people’s attention. What makes them move, what makes them sing . . . It may not be a conscious thing, but I definitely like writing tunes that induce a good deal of toe tapping and a decent shimmy.”

WHAT’S WITH THE NAME? “The ‘Bloodcat’ part came from a poem I had written, and I tacked on the word ‘Love’ because it’s so universal and empowering,” says Hendrik. “I’m all about the sounds and the meter of words creating a multitude of images . . . It has a few [meanings] for me,” he adds coyly, “but that’s only for me to know.”

PRESHOW RITUALS? “We just make sure that we’re not wearing the same clothes as each other. Oh, that, and a few stiff shots of hard liquor. Top shelf, mind.”

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.