Faulter

Southern California’s Faulter projects a glossy pop core beneath its punk-pop and emo surface, aiming squarely for mainstream radio with the melodic drive of Jimmy Eat World blended into the anthemic sweep of the Killers, or perhaps a Duran Duran retooled for the Hot Topic crowd. The quintet came together in Orange County during 2003 when high-school friends Andy Carpenter on vocals and guitar, Jonathan Carpenter on keyboards and guitar, Mike Levindofske on guitar and vocals, Jarred Dooley on bass, and Richard Boutwell on drums decided to form a band. Early momentum arrived via a family connection to the Carpenters that introduced them to producer Jon Saint James, a veteran of the early-’80s Los Angeles new-wave scene who had engineered punk and death-rock releases for the Minutemen and Christian Death while also unearthing synth-driven dance outfits such as Berlin and Stacey Q. Serving as both manager and producer, Saint James refined the group’s sound by supplementing their studio inexperience with the seasoned contributions of drummer Josh Freese and keyboardist Jason Freese, musicians whose résumés already included Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, and the Goo Goo Dolls. The band tracked its debut album, The Darling Buds of May, at Saint James’ facility, then issued a limited self-released edition that functioned simultaneously as a demo and an introduction to prospective labels. In 2006 Abacus Records, a metalcore-focused imprint distributed by EMI via its Caroline division, signed the group and reissued The Darling Buds of May with fresh artwork the following September.