In October, Los Angeles-based duo Purple Crush released Welcome 2 The Underground, a 7-song EP mixing electro synths, dubstep wobble, and straight-up dance-pop — plus some blistering electric guitar — fronted by Isla Cheadle’s strong, equally versatile vocals. Rarely have DIY efforts been as polished and flawless as what Purple Crush put forth, landing their EP on my list of the Top 10 EPs of 2011.

One of the most striking tracks on Welcome 2 The Underground is the lyrically direct “Basic Bitch.” I just knew there had to be a juicy story behind its creation, so on the occasion of the release of Purple Crush’s lyric video for “Basic Bitch,” I asked Cheadle to come clean about her target. Though she declined to name names — such a class act! — you’ll see why she couldn’t help but express herself in song:

“Around a year ago, I got inundated on Twitter by a local underground club crew regarding some dance videos I make for YouTube. One girl in particular started spewing vulgar words at me in such a transparent cyberbully way. Researching who it is, I realize she’s a 20-year-old aspiring rapper WHO CAN’T DANCE. So funny how people project onto others!”

“I wrote ‘Basic Bitch’ shortly after, although she wasn’t the only inspiration. There was an aspiring pop star who we produced a song for, and when she learned about us and our name — after the song was recorded — she announced that she wanted to write a song called Purple Crush. We asked her not to, but she continued to use the name on Twitter like it was some new “thing” she started. When I was heading into the vocal booth to record “Basic Bitch,” I got a text from a friend in the publishing world who had just met with her A&R, and he played him a song titled “Pop Bitch,” which is both a song of ours from years back, and an alter ego of mine that I’ve been rocking for years (it’s the name on Purple Crush’s YouTube account).”

“The timing could not have been more perfect, and so illustrates the lack of creativity these days in the industry. Everything is just so… REDUCTIVE.”

The word of the year, no? (Look it up.) Purple Crush’s lyric video for “Basic Bitch” is definitely a DIY affair with minimal set dressing, but goes beyond basic expectations by focusing on Cheadle and her many dance moves. No doubt you’ll learn a thing or two, but if you take these steps to the discotheque, give credit where credit’s due. You don’t want to be a, um, well, you know:

This Saturday in Los Angeles, Purple Crush launch a new party called Bird Haus, a dance music and dance performance art night. “I am really excited to dig deeper into my past professional dance days as we craft each week with a different performance,” Cheadle explains. “Our partner for the night is a fab woman named Bianca Oblivion, who hosts a Wednesday night radio show on KXLU called ‘She Rocks.’ She’s also a dancer, and appears in our ‘New Me’ video, premiering in a few weeks.”

Purchase Purple Crush – “Basic Bitch” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.