Imperial Teen was formed in San Francisco in 1995 by Roddy Bottum (keyboard player for Faith No More), Lynn Perko, Jone Stebbins and Will Schwartz. A pop aesthetic of crunchy guitar riffs and classic boy/girl harmonies quickly developed, finding all four members switching off on instruments and taking turns behind the mic. The band had barely been playing together for six months when they landed their first record deal (London / Universal) and found themselves in the studio.