Singer/guitarist Brian Aubert, bassist Nikki Monninger, drummer Christopher Guanlao and keyboardist Joe Lester of the Silversun Pickups didn’t meet, like so many countless other Los Angeles-formed bands before them, via the classifieds in the L.A. Weekly. They were friends who’d played together in various combinations in other groups before finally all coming together at once in 2005. After releasing the EP Pikul that same year to great fanfare, they began to garner a huge L.A. following with a sound that recalled the shoegaze dreaminess of My Bloody Valentine and the alternative-rock majesty of prime-era Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins. Touring with the likes of Brendan Benson (the Raconteurs), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Foo Fighters expanded their fanbase, as did the 2006 release of their full-length debut on Dangerbird Records, Carnavas. The band is set to release its second album, Swoon, on April 14.