Altered Zones

[Photo by Dustin Adams]

By Marissa A. Ross

MP3: Melted Toys: "Come On"

MP3: Melted Toys: "Lost Connection "

The name Melted Toys conjures childhood memories of that jerk who lived next door who used to take a lighter to my Barbies. But unlike formless puddles of drying plastic, the San Francisco trio's synth-tinged pop-rock is finely sculpted. With their new Washed & Dried EP, out now on Underwater Peoples, Melted Toys is spreading an infectious head bob and shoulder sway through makeshift basement venues nationwide. I quickly snagged the chance to talk with frontman/guitarist/keys player Steven Harkins, guitarist Daniel Rosado, and bassist Brian Wakefield about the drummerless life, rolling with the Underwater Peoples gang, and honing one's craft under the scrutiny of the blogosphere.

AZ: Did you set out with the aim of starting a synth-pop project?

Steven: We admire musicians who use synths in their music, but we use it sparingly. That sound actually comes from passing guitars through effects pedals-- not from synths. One could say that our music is informed by synth music while not relying very much on the instrument itself.

Brian: We grew up with parents who had '70s/'80s pop sensibilities. In Steven's case, it was Latin pop and ABBA, and I have really early memories of my mom listening to Whitney Houston. The music was so heavily produced that the live instruments sounded synthetic; you can't tell, for example, if you're hearing live drums or a drum machine. The pop we grew up with has become the soundtrack to our lives, one we can take from and make our own. Steven mentioned feeling like he was doing TLC-style vocals when he first wrote the melody for "Preforms." It's not that he directly went for that sound; it’s just something that came out.

AZ: Any other influences we shoud know about?

Steven: I naturally express musical influences from different times in my life. It's not really a conscious thing anymore; the influences surface subconsciously, just because they've made such a deep impression on me. To be honest, I haven't questioned or analyzed what I do. I suppose that's part of the approach; it's much more intuitive for me.

Daniel: I wouldn't say that I am influenced much by current music at all, though I do really like pop and new wave. Most of the time, I prefer listening to classical or jazz. We really don't think about it, and it's hard to try. Since people started asking us that question, I've been wondering what it would be like to have a certain sound or texture in mind before writing a song. I'd probably just fail miserably.

AZ: How did you end up with a drum machine instead of a drummer?

Daniel: We first wrote “Wild Waves” and “Lost Connection” with Steven on drums and vocals, but he started playing guitar and keyboard on those songs instead. We still wanted some kind of percussion, so we used a drum machine. It was the fastest way to get it done.

Steven: Yeah, it’s mostly about utilizing the fullest sound with minimal members. The drum machine has a metronomic quality; it keeps the music grounded.

Daniel: On our newer songs, we're thinking of possibly giving it another try with a drummer, but we haven't found the right person.

AZ: How did you hook up with the Underwater Peoples crew?

Daniel: Gio [Betteo, of Young Prisms] heard the demos we made of those two songs and asked us to play a show at the Evergold Gallery, back in August. It was our first show as Melted Toys, but the people there seemed to be into it. After the show, we started talking to Mike Mimoun, and he said he liked our music a lot; later, we learned he was part of Underwater Peoples.

Brian: They are all good friends. Even the way we were approached was laid back; we basically hung out together and talked about doing this and then they put our EP out. When I think of UP, I think first think of the people involved; it's only after that I realize that there is this whole other business side going on. When we played Maxwells, in NJ, we stayed at [Evan] Brody's parents' mansion. Immediately, it felt like we were back to being kids again, living the good life where parents buy you and your friends 5 cheese pizzas for dinner. The Real Estate dudes also instantly welcomed us. It was almost like we all went to the same summer camp, but stayed in different bunks. They have given us a greater sense of purpose, which we will be eternally grateful for. If it wasn't for them, we might have just ended up being a project we share only with close friends.

AZ: A lot of your exposure has come from blogs. How has that community affected the band?

Brian: Having Transparent write about us before we played our first show started us out in a more hopeful place then we’d been with any other project. No one had ever taken the time to listen to and write about anything we had done before. It gave us a bar to set for ourselves. Now, we feel a kind of expectation; it can potentially be stressful if you focus on it, but it's really positive. Even when people write real criticisms of our EP, if it’s well thought-out, it's totally valid.

AZ: Now that the EP is out and things are rolling, what’s coming up for Melted Toys?

Daniel: We're really looking forward to the show at Slim's with Beach Fossils on May 5th. We met Dustin [Peyseur, of Beach Fossils] at our show at the Silent Barn in New York, and that was awesome. Then, a few weeks ago, I got an email about playing with them. The Atelier Ciseaux Split 7" with Dominant Legs is entering its final stages, and that'll be out sometime in the near future. Lots of writing and recording at the moment, not a lot of time for much else… I think we're the kind of band that needs constant movement; and it’s nice to be busy.