Chiddy Bang has been on the scene since February 2009, but they didn’t release their first single, “Opposite of Adults”—sampling MGMGMT‘s “Kids”—until a year later. Over that time Chiddy Bang has generated a lot of hype, becoming a widely played university favourite and lauded as everything from “a hipster’s wet dream” to “the kings of the basement party jam.”

Chiddy Bang’s mainstream appeal comes no doubt from their careful combination of hip-hop, indie rock, and electro. Chiddy’s rapping is articulate, full of pop cultures references, and often politically charged as on “Sooner or Later,” while Xaphoon’s unique choice of samples from across a wide range of successful artists keeps the listener enthralled. On “Truth” they use a Passion Pit clip to great effect, while on “All Things Go” we have a riff from Sufjan Stevens’s “Chicago.”

“The Preview” is something of a teaser, filled out with mostly older songs, but enough to keep fans satisfied until the full album drops in 2011. The Pharrell-produced single “The Good Life” is the strongest new track, but songs featuring rapper Q-Tip and indie rocker Darwin Deez are also notable new additions. Although the album is nothing special, it hits where it counts with catchy hooks and refrains, and it looks as though Chiddy Bang will ride the hype for a while longer.