The universe sure has a twisted way of teaching me a lesson about procrastination.

I’d been planning to post a little something about La Roux for a while now, and usually my wake-up call arrives via the pages of Entertainment Weekly or some other source I hold in high regard. But no, this mention of the British electro-pop duo was the equivalent of a sucker-punch to the gut: La Roux received a shout-out in last week’s Parade Magazine. Though it’s been my automatic reflex to toss that tired syndicated Sunday supplement into the recycling bin, I’d decided for some reason to have a gander, and there was La Roux, listed in black and white on that flimsy newsprint as “Dorm Life Must-Haves” along with Phoenix and Discovery.

Clearly some Parade writer’s child (or grandchild) must have offered these musical suggestions, three artists that have registered barely a blip on the mainstream radar. Sure, Phoenix benefited from a Saturday Night Live appearance in April, but I’ve heard next to nothing about Discovery, and La Roux only recently played Lollapalooza. In fact, the duo’s self-titled debut isn’t out in the States until September 29th, a big reason I’d held off mentioning them here (or at least that’s how I justify my delay).

“Bulletproof,” La Roux’s poppy first single, is out now, with singer Elly Jackson standing her ground to an early Depeche Mode beat. If you don’t know by now, never bet against red:

Barbra Streisand greeted me on the cover of Parade on Sunday, returning all in the world to its proper place. Yes, I read the interview. And though I never knew to wonder, now I know why La Streisand loves the color burgundy. What did I say about red again?

Purchase La Roux – “Bulletproof” via iTunes, Amazon MP3. (Check out the remixes, too.)