Matt and Kim, the popular Brooklyn-based indie duo, are coming to Washington University this April to headline this year’s WUStock. The group has been active since 2004, when its adorable members Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino met at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute.

If there is one thing Matt and Kim know how to do, it’s draw in an audience. Whether it’s Matt’s enthralling and peculiar lyrics or Kim jumping on top of her stool that grabs your attention, it’s certain that not one audience member will be left standing still. Matt and Kim shows are a lively affair—hollering, dancing, and full-on merriment are expected and encouraged. They will be the perfect soundtrack to the hilarious and slightly childish activities encouraged by WUStock, which in the past have included bull-riding, jousting and rolling around in a giant hamster ball.

Although their first album, the self-titled “Matt and Kim” (2006), went relatively unnoticed, its release earned the band some local recognition and gave listeners a hint of what they were capable of becoming: the dance-punk-duo that struck gold with their sophomore effort, “Grand.” Though the album was released in January of 2009, its tracks (most notably the synthesizer fueled “Lessons Learned” and “Good Ol’ Fashion Nightmare”) powered many students’ go-to summer playlists for the past two years.

The band’s latest album, “Sidewalks,” was released just last month and contains such gems as the hip-hop laced “Cameras” and “Silver Tiles.” “Tiles” grants a nostalgic look back to Matt and Kim’s humble beginnings, as it was the first song the two wrote together. It’s been a regular feature at their shows, but “Sidewalks” marks its first professionally recorded appearance.

For those who listen to Matt and Kim on a regular basis, congratulations. You’ll be well prepared in the spring.

The rest of the student body has homework to do. When you return home for Christmas festivities, take an hour to get to know this amazing band. Unplug your earbuds and let Kim’s unapologetic, messy drum lines and Matt’s unadulterated voice fill your room, and don’t fight the smile that will undoubtedly work its way onto your face.

And to anyone convinced that Matt and Kim “isn’t their thing?” I’ve got a special assignment just for you: go home, listen to “Daylight,” and just try to keep from tapping your foot to the beat.

Go on.
I dare you.

WUStock takes place April 9 in the Swamp.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Matt and Kim are married.