Freezepop

Freezepop came together during 1999 in Boston, Massachusetts, where legend claims the members chose to start a synth pop outfit because the synthesizer’s crisp chill offered the ideal counter to that summer’s oppressive warmth. The lineup features vocalist Liz Enthusiasm, programmer the Duke of Pannekoeken (also known as the Duke of Belgian Waffles and the Duke of Candied Apples), and keyboardist the Other Sean T. Drinkwater, who maintains ties to Lifestyle. Although the group avoided emphasizing any ’80s retro persona when speaking with journalists, their sonic approach and frequent allusions to ’80s pop culture—most notably the song “Tracey Gold”—helped them resonate strongly with Boston’s sizable college population and the wider national synth pop audience. People close to the Other Sean T. Drinkwater apparently refer to him as “That ’80s Guy.”

All of the band’s music is created on a Yamaha QY-70 battery-powered sequencer, an instrument that allows them to blend the glossy new wave synth pop sound of the early ’80s with the looser, less polished punk-pop attitude of late-’90s acts such as Bis and Huggy Bear. Two EPs appeared in 2000, after which the debut album Forever reached stores in early 2001 and drew mixed notices. Early 2002 brought the deluxe EP Fashion Impression Function, a release that coincided with greater attention after the band earned Best New Band honors at the American Synthpop Awards, reached the WBCN Rumble semifinals, and placed “Science Genius Girl” in the Playstation 2 game Frequency. Fancy Ultra Fresh arrived in spring 2004.

Licensing tracks for Amplitude, Guitar Hero, and Dance Dance Revolution opened the door to an extensive tour spanning North America and Europe. In 2005, Freezepop released the long-running EP Fashion Impression Function before pairing with Cordless Recordings/Rykodisc to release Future Future Future Perfect in September 2007. The Duke of Pannekoeken soon exited to resume full-time work at Harmonix. After weighing their options, Enthusiasm and Drinkwater continued with new members Robert John “Bananas" Foster and Christmas Disco Marie Sagan, resulting in the 2010 album Imaginary Friends.