It’s the night before Halloween at The Echo—LA’s default locale for all things neon and hip. MIA, Yo Majesty! and Diplo and Switch, among others, have all bounced beats off its concrete walls in the past couple weeks alone. Fittingly, we’re here waiting to meet up with Tahita Bulmer and Andy Spence of New Young Pony Club, England’s embodiment of all things neon and hip, as they soundcheck for their upcoming show. Evening has already fallen, and the cool Echo Park night has that anxious sense of expectation, as if great things are afoot…that something supernatural is on the cusp. Blame Halloween.

So we step outside onto Sunset Blvd and walk along the busy street, stopping off first at a ratty corner drugstore, the kind loaded with pre-packaged costumes every October. Smelling an opportunity to peruse some cheap disguises, the three of us duck inside. We didn’t really want to talk about the same old thing (biggest influences, first record, band name, blah blah blah), so we just figured we’d take a walk and see what happens. And this is it, as it happened…

BPM: So you guys gonna celebrate Halloween?
TAHITA: Well the other night, Lily Allen brought costumes for her whole crew and band. It was about 30 of them!
BPM: Wait, I thought Halloween was an American thing?
TAHITA: No, no, no. A little bit! Not everyone gets it but some people get it. Lily’s well at dressing up so, she was going to go for it either way.
ANDY (pointing to a costume): Wow! What is that? Raawwr!
TAHITA: It’s a sexy convict—“Hot Guilty” it says.
ANDY: Why don’t you get the nun?