The first time I met Fetty jewelry designer and Semi Precious Weapons front man, Justin Tranter, we were both backstage during New York Fashion Week. Enjoying ourselves separately in the MAC Lounge, a mutual friend introduced us. After the Diane von Furstenberg show, we were chatting, and as he gets up to leave, I notice that he's wearing the most amazing pair of silver, pointy toed ankle boots and leggings. I teased, saying "That's so Gaga of you!"

At the time, Gaga was in her Just Dance/Poker Face days - the thought of Justin actually knowing her seemed a little unlikely. Undoubtedly seeing expression on my face, and he goes on to explain how in her early days, she actually opened for them at shows.

In September of 2008, the band's indie debut, We Love You, was released. They received critical acclaim and moderate success, even capturing MTV Logo's ArjanWrites.com's Brink of Fame Award (over Lady Gaga). In fact, Gaga even appeared in the band's first video for their single, Magnetic Baby.

Fast forward a couple of years - Semi Precious Weapons have traveled around the world as the opening act for Lady Gaga's Monster Ball. Keeping her promise, Lady Gaga even executive produced their major label debut, You Love You. The album features six all new tracks (some they've been playing for months on tour) and new versions of Semi Precious Weapons, Magnetic Baby and Rock n Roll Never Looked So Beautiful.

The band's sound has evolved since their We Love You days, losing a bit of the rough and tumble sound, in favor of bringing Justin's voice to the forefront. During Leave Your Pretty To Me and Look At Me, Justin's voice is more gentile (and at times vulnerable), attributes that can get lost within more uptempo songs like Magnetic Baby.

While the band's core sound is rock & roll, these ballads add dimension to the album, making it a complete package. Pick up the album from Amazon and iTunes (it's currently the #62 most purchased album) or catch them this summer on tour with Lady Gaga at the Monster Ball. PS - they'll be giving away tickets the day of every show. Catch the location by following Semi Precious Weapons on Twitter.

Have you listened to the album? If so, what's your favorite song?