From quiet homes in different parts of the UK to international stardom, The Vamps can hardly be described as another cliché boy-band. Made up of vocalist Brad Simpson, guitarist James McVey, drummer Tristan Evans, and bassist Connor Ball, the four young musicians met only three years ago in 2012, over various social media sites, proving that four heads are better than one.

Simpson started working toward fame on YouTube by himself, covering songs by Ed Sheeran, Jim Morrison, Mumford & Sons, among others. McVey had the same idea, but was inspired to work in a group, and scoured the Internet for potential band mates. Stumbling across Simpson’s demos, he was intrigued by the then 16 year-old’s talent.

“I think it’s very lonely being a solo artist. You don’t have the camaraderie of having your best friends with you, so I always wanted to be in a band,” Simpson says, recalling his time working alone.

The two started recruiting other artists for the band, coming across another few lucky finds. Evans was invited to the group through Facebook, catching the others’ eyes by being in the top three drummers for his age group in the UK. Their last missing piece was Ball, now the bassist.

“He learned to play bass for the band. That’s how good he is,” McVey states, recalling Ball’s multi-instrumental talent prior to joining his other three band mates.

Now a complete outfit, The Vamps started recording demos for YouTube, covering songs by One Direction, Taylor Swift, and Bruno Mars. The Vamps caught wind with a growing, faithful fan-base, along with the attention of a few music producers. To further their experience in the music world, The Vamps recorded with multiple producers in both the UK and the US. Their first album Meet The Vamps was released mid-April in the UK, and late 2014 in the US.

Meet The Vamps has both the provocative lyrics of teenage boys and the catchiness of boy-band pop, sure to provide a little something for any listener.