Having had the pleasure of catching Purple Crush perform at Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco just a couple of weeks ago, and then chatting at length with frontwoman Isla Cheadle following her energetic set with hubby Air Jared, I’m super-excited to share the premiere of the duo’s new EP, Welcome 2 The Underground.

The title, Cheadle says, is “a shout out to the EP that really got things going for us, [2007’s] Welcome 2 Emo Club. It allowed us to tour all over the U.S. and Europe and get our tracks licensed from Japan to Paris.”

Welcome 2 The Underground kicks off with “New Me,” in which Cheadle sings, “This is me, brand-new / Now that I’m back, there’s nothing we can’t do.” For the DIY electro duo who moved from New York City to Los Angeles to tackle the pop world not too long ago, that lyric is a personal statement of musical purpose and drive. Over the course of these seven tracks, two of which surfaced earlier this year (“Sweat” and “New York City Bad Girl”), Purple Crush confidently blends electro synths, dubstep wobble, and straight-up dance-pop — plus some blistering electric guitar — with Cheadle’s strong, versatile vocal talents leading the way. The result is an aurally exciting EP that crushes the major-label competition.

“We wrote it with our blood, produced it with our sweat, and mixed it with our tears,” Cheadle says of Welcome 2 The Underground. Such dedication has paid off, as I’ve rarely encountered DIY efforts as polished and flawless as this. It’s no overstatement to say that current chart champs with million-dollar production budgets and major-label A&R teams would kill for tracks as insanely catchy as what Purple Crush have concocted. (Madonna, currently working on her new LP, would be wise to ring these two up ASAP.) Hear here:

Welcome 2 The Underground by purplecrush

If there’s any justice in the world, Underground will break through to the mainstream in short order. The push begins with a lyric video for “Basic Bitch,” coming soon.

Purple Crush – Welcome 2 The Underground is out November 1 via the duo’s own Crushed Records.

UPDATE 11/1: Purchase now via iTunes.