By Adrian Gaitan
For the Daily Titan

Spin magazine proclaims Hockey as, “alarming non-Canadian genre-hoppers (that) spin their identity cries into pop gold.”

And the band is just that.

Mind Chaos, released Oct. 6, is filled with dance beats that engulf the listener and bring out their inner dance-party spirit.

The now-Portland, Ore., band came into existence in Los Angeles, Calif., a little over five years ago when lead singer Ben Grubin and bass player Jeremy “Jerm” Reynolds met at the University of Redlands. Upon moving the band to Portland, the two music-loving hopefuls completed their fearsome foursome when finding guitarist Brian White and drummer Anthony Stassi.

Before signing with Capitol Records, producing songs from a Portland basement was the band’s only means of creating what would become “pop gold.”

Grubin said, “My priority was to (create) stuff that is worthwhile to people, as in completely original in some way. Making something that has never existed before … like one small light of a new perspective.”

The band has toured throughout Europe and has made their way back to the States with the debut performance of their first single, “Too Fake,” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Mind Chaos has a pop-rock, punk, disco, new wave, soul, kind-of-rap feel that generates lyrics that are incredibly honest, heartfelt and downright catchy.

With songs like “Everyone’s The Same Age” and “Four Holy Photos,” Mind Chaos offers something for every kind of genre seeker. The two songs have totally different vibes/beats when compared to the rest of the album, but somehow they tie in tremendously well for an overall great combo of music.

Hockey was recently nominated for the Best Push Artist category for the 2009 MTV European Video Music Awards.

Mind Chaos is a must-have album. Metro. Pop stated, “The ridiculously feel-good album is a non-stop party that I bound to ensue chaos around the country this (next) summer.”