"Mon Frere would describe Mon Frere's music as indie progressive, new wavey, jazz-influenced dance rock. But for the shortened version, you could just call us dirrrty pop," jokes the Seattle band about their raw blend of new wave and rock. And surely you've heard them (or at least of them) by now, since their audacious, catchy songs have been flooding the music community since the trio's debut almost a year ago at the EMP Sound Off! competition. They won that battle, beating out eight other underage finalists (including Idiot Pilot and the Lonely H), and since the victory have had a pretty wild ride of hard work and awesome opportunities. This past summer they returned to the EMP's Sky Church to play a packed house for Bumbershoot. They've also performed live on 107.7 The End and opened a countless number of shows for local heavy-hitters like Super Deluxe and Minus the Bear... all before releasing a record.

"Over the past year, we've practiced our asses off and hopefully the results are noticeable to those who have been coming to shows from the start," says singer/keyboardist Nouela Johnston.

Using the 20 hours of free studio time awarded by Sound Off!, Mon Frere recorded their debut release, Real Vampires EP, at Electro Kitty Studios with friend and producer/engineer Blake Wescott (Pedro the Lion, Seldom, the Vogue).

"We're all pretty stoked," drummer David Haasl says about the record's upcoming release. Johnston adds, "I've been excited and anxious about this CD for the last nine months, so I'm more relieved than anything that it's finally coming out."

Real Vampires EP (Smug Life) is an impressive five-track debut. While Johnston's keyboards elevate the poppy, snotty attitude, Haasl's jazz-heavy drumming boasts complete style and control. And Kyle Swisher's dirty guitar riffs pull everything together with impeccable timing. Collectively, the instrumentation makes a perfect accompaniment for Johnston's unapologetic vocal style. She lays it all out with the same fearlessness paraded by other remarkable frontwomen like the Gossip's Beth Ditto and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O. Obviously time has allowed the band to become more comfortable and familiar with one another's abilities.

"We've become more of a family," says Haasl about the band's evolution. "When we write songs, they kind of just come out of us jamming instead of us actually sitting down and painstakingly writing a piece of music. Being in this band keeps getting easier and more fun with time."

Mon Frere's CD release party happens Friday, December 3, at the Vera Project with the Fall of Troy, Schoolyard Heroes, and Kane Hodder. The show starts at 8:00 p.m. and costs $8. MEGAN SELING

megan@thestranger.com