FOUR young musicians from Dunfermline breathed in the New York City night air after achieving a feat "beyond their wildest dreams".

Standing upon a Times Square rooftop with all the adrenaline that comes from winning $15,000 still pumping through their veins, they took in the vista and what had just happened.

It was shocking, overwhelming and emotional but they had done it: Moonlight Zoo were crowned winners of the 2019 Hard Rock Cafe Battle of the Bands competition.

They heard their name read out on stage at the iconic former Paramount Theatre in front of a packed 1,000-strong crowd and the rest was history.

"It was just incredibly special," the band's Sean Defrancesco told Press:ON.

"We went backstage and had a moment between ourselves. It was emotional and just overwhelming as none of us could believe it.

"It was an unbelievable experience to win $15,000 in New York.

"It's one of the biggest things to ever happen to us."

They performed in front of music industry executives as one of the three finalists who had earned the right to compete for the potentially career-changing jackpot.

Back in April, live music rounds were held around the world with acts leaving it all on stage to be in with a chance of making the grand final.

Sean, Jamie (Adamson), Reece (Dobbin) and Aly (O’Mahoney) fended off local competition in the Glasgow heat before further success followed in an online fan vote to seal their place in New York.

The all-expenses paid trip was "surreal" and one none of them will ever forget.

"We were walking around afterwards in pure disbelief,” Sean recalled.

“We then got taken out to the roof of the Paramount Theatre. It was insane to be standing on a rooftop in Times Square after just winning $15,000.

“It was one of the most magical moments in my life. It was the ultimate pinch-yourself moment.”

News of MZ conquering NYC filtered home quickly, with friends and family leaving messages of congratulations for the Dunfermline group who were left emotionally and physically fatigued after the whirlwind adventure.

The accomplishment is all the more remarkable considering it comes just four years shy of headlining their local live music venue PJ Molloys for the first time back in 2015 and becoming the first winners of the Live Music Award at the inaugural Press Community Champions Awards in the same year.

And while the five-figure cash sum was a sweet finish to their American travels, it wasn’t the only reward the visit yielded.

“We became really good friends with the other two finalists (Sweet Fever, from Nashville; and Napkin, from Curitiba) as we were all on this amazing journey together. We'd all been whisked away from our home towns to compete on this amazing stage.

“We got to spend a lot of time with them and there was a collective palpable excitement in the air and it really accelerated the bonding process. And on the day of the gig, we were sitting backstage where we realised that we were all winners regardless of what happened.

“It didn't matter who won as we'd all been taken on this journey. It was a beautiful night for everyone."

In among the jubilation of their win, the four-piece also launched their latest single, Survive, on the night of the final.

But for Moonlight Zoo, they’re looking to do more than just survive as a band, they want to thrive and capitalise on this momentum with more tunes to come soon.

"This has really lit a fire under us," Sean added.

"We met so many amazing people when we were out there and this is now a really exciting time for the band. We can’t wait to see what happens next.”