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. With their unusual melodic guitar parts and vaguely jangle pop sound, Melted Toys drew comparisons to British cult favorites Felt. The band moved 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 the group's long-awaited debut. Released in July 2014, Melted Toys' self-titled debut album was mixed by Rusty Santos (Animal Collective, Panda Bear). ~ Timothy Monger