Young Prisms is a suitably fresh band from San Francisco with a reputation for spiritual rituals and mystical séances fueling its music. Turns out, new bands are just as susceptible to urban legends as experienced ones.

“That got taken a little too literally. What we were referring to was general pre-writing, pre-recording, pre-show rock ’n’ roll rituals — you know, smok ing weed, basically,” bassist Gio Betteo said, laughing. “Nothing spiritual beyond that. People ran with it like we were trying to connect with the spirit of Jerry Garcia or something.”

The group’s love of ganja fits snuggly with its demeanor. Playing Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Opolis is Norman, the act is comprised of four guys and one gal who are intelligent and capable, if not disinterested and unmotivated — shoegazers with little desire to pick their heads up for much of anything.

Before committing full-time to Young Prisms, they spent the bulk of their time trudging through school or twiddling their fingers at menial jobs, but the music they enjoy playing so much — a mix of noise rock and dream pop — proved to be the thing worth working toward.

“I was working at a wine and cheese shop in the Castro, the absolute gayest part of America,” Betteo said, laughing again. “I was trying to do school, too, but it wasn’t my thing. We were all just sort of passing the time with little things. Now we’ve got something big to focus on.”

A desire to push past San Francisco led them to a shared living space to write, rehearse and record what would become their proper debut album, “Friends for Now,” released yesterday. 2011 is shaping up to be Young Prisms’ year, and Betteo credits the move-in as the main catalyst.

“It became a lot more comfortable to work together,” he said.

Much of the songs on “Friends” have been done for quite some time now, and that layover has left the quintet with plenty of time to write much of what will become its sophomore effort, although its full attention is now on touring to the first one and and spread the Prisms’ name across the country.

Although its members continue to make their first real treks away from the City by the Bay, the band still takes a little piece of the town with it everywhere it goes, with a sound that is undeniably fitting for the place it was born from (San Francisco, not druginduced spirit quests).

“The feeling of the city is definitely present in our music — the fogginess and the darkness that rolls in — but it’s still California, and there are still beaches and it’s sunny. That comes out as well,” Betteo said. “It’s kind of weird. It’s light and dark, just like San Francisco tends to be.”