Modernboys Moderngirls have enough on-stage energy to power a Greyhound bus, but you can’t always turn stage presence into gold-just ask lead singer Akira Alemany . They played a show at last year’s Halifax Pop Explosion , in a pub with slot machines in the back-and after their set, they gambled for gas money home. All in a day’s work for an up and coming soul-punk indie band.

Soul and punk may seem like a strange blend of influences, but when you combine the two, the effect is overwhelmingly powerful-imagine a motorcycle (that’s the punk) that runs smooth as velvet (the soul, natch) and you have some idea of Modernboys Moderngirls live show. Drawing inspiration from greats like The Velvet Underground , New York Dolls , Otis Redding , and MC5 , Modernboys Moderngirls are deeply reverent of musical history, and create a sound that brings together this awareness in a new way.

Their latest album, I Might As Well Break It , features their signature unique sound. “It’s punky,” Alemany says, “but it has that soul lift.” The album drops June 26th, but you can get a preview at midnight on June 18th when they play at Neutral Lounge for NXNE.