The Austin, Tex., instrumental rockers of The Octopus Project have been flying high ever since they received a big break last year.

A MySpace contest allowed fans to nominate an underground band they wanted to see at the 2006 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. A fan of The Octopus Project entered the band into the contest and the group won.

“”We had no idea the contest was going on,”” said Toto Miranda, one of the band’s multi-instrumental members.

Despite being thrown into one of the most praised music festivals in the world, the band seized the day and impressed the California desert crowd.

“”We got to play to a lot of people who had never heard us before,”” Miranda said.

While it may seem difficult for a purely instrumental band to keep an audience’s attention, the band doesn’t think it was a big deal.

“”There’s so much going on that I’d like to think that people aren’t looking for what’s missing,”” Miranda said. “”Our priority is making it interesting to watch.””

The songs, which are structured around electronic samples and inventive sounds, are carefully crafted, yet experimentally expressive. Vocals may be missing, but intriguing instruments like the theremin, the first electronic instrument of its kind, makes the band stand out.

The band members experiment in eagerness to hear new sounds.

“”A lot of songs get written around sounds we’ve stumbled across or found,”” Miranda said. “”We’re excited to use new sounds or old sounds in a new way.””

The band has two full-length records under its belt: 2002’s Identification Parade and 2005’s One Ten Hundred Thousand Million. Just last year, the band released a collaboration with the group Black Moth Super Rainbow titled The House of Apples and Eyeballs.

After its current tour, The Octopus Project plans to record a new album at a Seattle studio. They expect the project to last a short period of time and hope the different environment will inspire them.

“”We’re excited to put together a lot of the songs we’ve been working on,”” Miranda said.

The Octopus Project plays Sunday. Musica Obscura and Mostly Bears are set to open for the 21-and-up show. Tickets are $6, and the show starts at 9 p.m. at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St.