Formed around 2003 as part of Los Angeles’ then-burgeoning “Smell” scene, the Mae Shi released TERRORBIRD, their first full-length of punk and New-Wave-inspired noise, in 2004. A year later, HEARTBEEPS appeared, to be followed by 2008’s HLLLYH, which was released on the Moshi Moshi label and led to wider exposure and critical praise. By that point, the band had mushroomed to six members: Jeffrey Bryan, Timothy Martinez, Brad Beeck, Jonathan Gray, William Gray, and Jacob Cooper. Their live shows, accordingly, became more raucous affairs, as they shared bills around the world with fellow L.A. upstarts like Abe Vigoda.