Young Dan Hunter mixes a little Brandon Flowers with a lot of Ben Gibbard. The result is an electro-pop that's uniquely arena-ready. Or maybe it's a pop-punk of stunning sensitivity. Either way, the PlayRadioPlay project, about to see a sharp new album, makes us forget emo can ever be grating.

"Hello. My name is Dan Hunter (say it with a Texas accent). I'm 17 years old. PlayRadioPlay is my solo project. Although I am signed, I still do it for fun, not for money, not for girls, simply because I enjoy making music. My music seems to make people happy, and I enjoy making people happy. I love everyone.

It has come to my attention that the aforementioned statements alongside the fact that I have unmanageably long hair mean that I am indeed a hippie, occasionally spelled 'hippy'. Sweeeet!

From making beats in his bedroom, to hitting one million plays on MySpace and opening for Fall Out Boy all in the space of a single year, it's safe to say Texan teenager and poptronica genius PlayRadioPlay has truly arrived.

"I'm a nerd," Dan modestly shrugs. "I'm just a boredom nerd. Boredom is the reason I make music and nerdyness is the reason I make electronic music."

Often compared to Postal Service and raised on The Smashing Pumpkins, PlayRadioPlay's songs are like the soundtrack to your dreams. On the surface they're like cupcakes - sweet, cute and just bursting with pure happiness. But if you listen carefully to what this blissfully gentle voice is singing on songs such as "Bound To Get Caught" and "Compliment Each Other Like Colors", you'll discover a darker dimension to Dan's music. It's this diverse combination of sound and subject that gives his music depth and realness. It's what makes PlayRadioPlay stand out from everyone else.

"My father passed away the summer before my freshman year of high school. My mom drank a lot and wasn't around very much and I got into drugs and drinking and as a result ended up going to rehab for four months when I was a 14. Once I got out of rehab I wasn't depressed anymore. I was happy and clean, I had a more positive outlook on everything. That's why PlayRadioPlay is generally happy music with deep, not-as-happy subject lines."

PlayRadioPlay was officially born in December 2005, when Dan began posting music on MySpace just for fun. "I taught myself how to play guitar, drums and bass and I started doing electronic stuff in my music class at school. We used to use a program called Fruity Loops. The first song I ever made was called "Jello". It sucked but that was the first real PlayRadioPlay song." That one song, which was written about missing a phone call, was enough to catch everyone's attention and spark an online frenzy.

As Dan continued to post more songs online, some about his turbulent past, some about his girlfriend Madi, his popularity also continued to grow at an alarming rate and within seven months his MySpace profile was generating over 30,000 plays a day.

But despite all this success and even after being pursued by major labels and eventually finding a home with Stolen Transmission Records, Dan still manages to keep his feet firmly rooted. "I'm one of those people that have learnt not to get my hopes up. When I first started talking to big labels I never really got excited because I told myself it wouldn't happen. People would ask me why I wasn't more excited and I'd tell them I didn't want to get my hopes up until I got signed and even now it still hasn't really hit me."

In November 2006, shortly after signing a deal with indie label Stolen Transmission (home to Permanent Me, The Horrors and The Photo Atlas amongst others), Dan joined Fall Out Boy on their winter tour. "It was ridiculous!" gushes Dan, "I got really good feedback from the crowd, they all responded so well to something they were hearing for the first time." It was definitely a far cry from some of Dan's earliest shows where he would perform on stage with a laptop sitting on top of an ironing board. You can experience PlayRadioPlay live when he appears at Bamboozle in May, before embarking on The Warped Tour for 30 dates this summer.

Dan is currently hiding in the countryside of Ashford, Kent in England where he is recording his debut full-length album with Grammy Award winning producer Garret Lee, who has previously worked with the likes of U2, Snow Patrol, The Hives and Bloc Party. Excited yet? You should be. The album will land in the winter but in the meantime to satisfy your eager ears, Stolen Transmission is releasing The Frequency EP, on April 24th, which will feature five PlayRadioPlay songs as well as a cover version of The Killers "Mr Brightside".

So brace yourself ladies and gents, and prepare to fall in love with the most anthemic electronic indie-pop songs you'll hear all year. This endlessly endearing long-haired hippy has just begun his journey and he's here to stay.

Peace and love.