Having already made headlines by changing their name from The Muslims late last year, the column inches for The Soft Pack are set to grow rapidly as the undisputed buzz band for 2009.

Playing an impressive 11 shows during CMJ 2008, the San Diego band has already been compared to The Strokes thanks to their raw, stripped-back garage rock, and are in the process of re-pressing their sold-out 12-inch debut EP, the first issue of which is almost a dead cert to gain collectors-item status.

The band moved away from their former title because it became something they “hated, couldn’t stand” after encountering much negativity throughout it’s short life.

“We were disgusted with and exhausted by all of the ignorant, often racist, bullshit that came out of people’s mouths during shows/interviews/conversations,” they fumed on their Myspace blog, and vowed the new name marked a new chapter for the band.

With their UK live debut looming in the coming weeks, and a double A-Side set for release on the other side of the Pond next month, west coasters should make a point of seeing them at their two scheduled shows on January 23 and 24 in San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively, as superstardom and supermodel girlfriends are mere months away for this quartet.