Melted Toys

Formed in 2009, San Francisco indie pop group Melted Toys initially began as a project between high-school friends Daniel Rosado, Steven Harkins, and Brian Wakefield. After experimenting with different configurations, they settled on a two-guitar, bass, and drum machine setup both in the studio and live. Following a show at San Francisco's Ever Gold Gallery, the band was approached by Bay Area indie <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Underwater+Peoples%22">Underwater Peoples</a>, for whom they recorded their debut EP, 2011's Washed & Dried. With their unusual melodic guitar parts and vaguely jangle pop sound, the band drew comparisons to British cult favorites <a href="spotify:artist:3BqAAo5E60L15TcFgWI8xH">Felt</a>. Shortly after Washed & Dried's release, they enlisted drummer Ole Haarstad, completing their lineup. The band began working on a full-length follow-up, but were delayed for a number of reasons. The initial material for their album was contained on a laptop that was accidentally lost on a city train by one of the bandmembers. The band regrouped, moving to Los Angeles, while singer/guitarist Steven Harkins spent a period traveling in China and Japan, where he wrote much of the material that would end up on their long-awaited debut. Released in July 2014, their self-titled debut album was mixed by <a href="spotify:artist:62in8jmY3oFPiBLYlviXSw">Rusty Santos</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:4kwxTgCKMipBKhSnEstNKj">Animal Collective</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1R84VlXnFFULOsWWV8IrCQ">Panda Bear</a>). ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi