Smeowkinator

Those parsing the lower stretches of Billboard's Hot 100 this week will come across an unexpected sight: Australian space-synth duo Empire of the Sun. Though the band has managed a number of blog-conquering underground hits since their 2008 breakthrough — including "Walking on a Dream," "We Are the People," and "Alive," all of which were Top 25 hits in their home country — they've never before cracked the pop charts in the States. But the really surprising thing is that it's not a new single that marks their first appearance: It's "Walking on a Dream," the band's debut single, finally charting after eight years. How did this happen? Well, the answer will be unsurprising to anyone who's sat through seven straight hours of nationally televised football these last few playoff weekends. Those viewers have undoubtedly braced the Honda Civic commercial "The Dreamer" a countless number of times: a (literally) imaginative, visually stunning ad soundtracked by, of course, Empire's "Dream."