The 2012 release will be the first new material from Meyer since 2008’s “It’s Spooky to Be Young” seduced enough Los Angeles ears to land the track “Video Game Girl” on Indie 103.1’s list of the top songs of the year by L.A. bands. Now that she’s left the Pacific Coast behind for the bustle of New York, where she fronts the act Young Unknowns, she shirks pensive cellos for head-bobbing dance tracks haunted by her ethereal vocals.

Her change in scenery, she said, demanded a change in tone, as she left heavy emotional baggage behind.

“I made a rule on this album of ‘No slow songs,’” Meyer said. “I don’t know if it’s my new, New York angst or the fact I’m always on a subway and in motion, but I am really into driving beats right now.”

She attributed part of that to her new drummer, Matt Arbeiter, whom she met literally on the sidewalk.

So could more people, hopefully.

With Brooklyn being well-connected, Meyer has found it easier to draw new listeners.

“It doesn’t have the commercial focus that comes along with living in Los Angeles, where film and TV and celebrity rule,” she said. “There, people want to know ‘who you are’ first. Here, someone can play music in a ratty basement in a robot suit and it will be appreciated on a level besides, ‘Is this going to be marketable?” Sadly, Meyer’s EP doesn’t drop until early 2012, so audiences will have to wait for her next return to her home state to buy a copy. Friday’s Opolis show was arranged last-second after she decided to fly in for Thanksgiving.

“It’s a little weird to play a show in conjunction with visiting my family,” she said, “but honestly, I get twice as anxious if I feel like I have to sit around in a room with a TV. I’m kind of a night owl and I’d rather be playing music and seeing other bands than eating pie and sleeping.”

Photo by Angie Craft