Could it be the sound of 2010? A growing number of enthusiasts seem to think Hurts deserve the title of most exciting band of the year. These stylish Brits have charmed the music world with a wittily somber take on pop and they are fast becoming favorites with the fashion crowd thanks to their effortless chic. Are they worth all the hype?

After meeting them for an exciting interview The New Yooxer’s answer is yes! While no one is fond of a show-off there is something strikingly simple about the highly talked-about duo, which neither the attention from the fashion world nor their growing success in the charts seem to have had any influence on. After falling in love with Better than Love and Wonderful Life and the visually perfect accompanying video, it was only a matter of time before the buzz grew into a full-blown shout of love. Watch the interview and understand why.

Before Hurts, singer Theo Hutchcraft and synthesizer Adam Anderson were in bands Bureau and Daggers, the latter of which supported Gary Numan. But on a trip to Italy, they discovered “disco-lento” (slow disco), became fixed on a more austere and stylish European aesthetic and Hurts were born. Musically, they construct melancholic 1980s-inspired electro-pop. This ironically fresh sound somewhat reminiscent of Depeche Mode got them noticed not only by the music press but also by the Guardian for whom they were “Band of the day” in July 2009, as well as by the BBC who panels of industry experts voted them third runners-up in the “Sound of 2010” poll. In early 2010 they officially released their debut single, Better Than Love, and played their first ever live shows. Their debut album called Happiness was released on 6 September 2010. It contains a duet with Kylie Minogue entitled Devotion.