Douglas Martin also liked the LL Cool J vehicle, “Toys.”
Melted Toys don’t exactly sound like their name, but that does occasionally sound like what they recorded their debut EP with. Washed & Dried— courtesy of the ever-reliable indie-pop label Underwater Peoples— finds the San Francisco trio reveling in insularity, a rare look considering the visceral nature of the city’s psych-rock scene. Slinky grooves made from thrift-store Casios and tinny drum machines. The band uses the stifled, empty space of bedroom air as accompaniment, giving melancholy tunes like “Wild Waves” and darker ones like “Lost Connection” a claustrophobic edge. Steven Harkins’ vocals effortlessly cascade through multiple octaves while he, guitarist Daniel Rosado and Brian Wakefield find a nice little pocket in the textures of early-80’s new-wave. Consider this synth-pop for people who don’t like their synth-pop shiny and saccharine.
Download:
MP3: Melted Boys-“Come On”
