Unless you’re in the rare band that manages to exceed all kinds of stereotypes and preconceived notions, the odds are that in the modern day music biz, you need to move to one of the big cities to get your big start. That’s not to discredit our friends who don’t live in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Nashville and these days, Portland, but since the grunge explosion of the early ‘90s, new bands have had their roots in one place, while living in one of the big cities. Examples of successful outfits that have uprooted are, amongst others, Black Keys and Delta Spirit.

The seeds for L.A.-based Youngblood Hawke were planted in their (by their, that’s three of them) hometown of San Antonio. While growing up in the city most famous for the Alamo and Spurs, Simon Katz and Tasso Smith went to high school together, as did Alice Katz. However, their interest in music and forming a band didn’t bubble to the surface until they all lived in Los Angeles.

Simon and Sam Martin (who met while college students at the University of Colorado, Boulder) were in the Echo Park-based indie pop rock band Iglu & Harty, and during that band’s hiatus, which was caused due to the usual strife that comes with being in a band in today’s landscape, they enlisted Tasso (who moved to Los Angeles upon hearing their first demos), Alice and Nik Hughes to form a new outfit, which they called Youngblood Hawke. While many images run through your mind when you hear a name like this, the origins are actually a lot simpler than one would expect. The core duo (Simon and Sam) were inspired by the Herman Wouk novel of the same name, hence, the band name, which paid tribute to the feelings that the book channeled within them.

Though Iglu & Harty had a strong following in their five years as band and were signed to Mercury Records, the quintet moved forward, rapidly building a following in their adopted hometown. They started off small, playing new band breeding grounds like The Satellite in Silver Lake and before long, they score a deal with Universal Republic Records in 2011. Not too shabby for a new band.

Since then, Youngblood Hawke has played at the usual new band stomping grounds, including showcases at SXSW, along with an opening slot on Passion Pit’s current tour. But that aside, the group’s brand of fun, youthful indie pop is what’s endeared them to fans. Their self-titled debut EP has caught on with music listeners due to the catchiness of “We Come Running,” which is everything that a good anthemic pop song should sound like. It’s been all over radio and even charted on the Billboard Top 200, which is great for a simple EP.

Youngblood Hawke is in the midst of recording their debut full-length, which if it sounds anything like what they’ve released so far, they’ll be in great shape. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for them, they were on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and will probably be popping up in your town in the near future.