The first band to sign a worldwide record contract with Epitaph Records, the Hot Melts combine punk-pop leanings with a touch of 1950s rock & roll. Frontman Will Bayliss, guitarist Jonny Green, bassist Jamie Otsa, and drummer Jack Prince formed the band in Liverpool during the 2000s. Embracing influences from both sides of the Atlantic, they soon found themselves playing shows alongside such groups as the Hold Steady and the Pigeon Detectives. A deal with Wonderland Records (an imprint of Epitaph) soon followed, and the group decamped to Chicago in early 2008 to record its debut album with producer Marc McClusky. ~ Andrew Leahey