REVIEW: Melted Toys - Melted Toys

The usual path of musical discovery to to become familiar with a band, and then experience the side projects of its various members.  I've done things a bit backward here, as I first became aware of, and enamored with Brian Wakefield's recording project Emotional, which I covered several times in the recent past (here, here, and here).  Through Brian's project I became familiar with Melted Toys, a west coast band consisting of founders Daniel Rosado and Steven Harkins, with Brian Wakefield and Ole Haarstad.  Melted Toys' sweet spot is a hazy, lo-fi psychedelic pop that they first displayed on their 2009 Washed & Dried EP and have perfected for the new self-titled LP.  Overall, the twelve tracks on the album reveal an impressive ability to create interesting dream pop songs infused with vitality and a welcome upbeat vibe.  The sounds are a bit woozy and warped, with gentle but bright guitars and tastefully restrained synths.  The vocals blend in with, rather than ride over the top of, the instruments, which enhances the relaxed atmosphere.

If you are looking for an album to make you dance or pump your fist in the air, Melted Toys isn't the answer.  But I've been hoping for a full length from these guys for some time, and I'm very pleased with what they have wrought.  Every time I listen to it a feel peaceful and happy, and who couldn't use a big dose of that in their lives?  And looking beyond that, songs this carefully constructed suggest that we can expect more good things in the future from Melted Toys.

Melted Toys is out now via label Underwater Peoples.





Here is the video for "Observations" --



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