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Freezepop Biography

freezepop

Freezepop formed in 1999 in Boston, MA, and as legend has it they decided to form a synth pop band because the icy cool of the synthesizer was the perfect antidote to that summer's excruciating heat. The band consists of vocalist Liz Enthusiasm, programmer the Duke of Pannekoeken (aka the Duke of Belgian Waffles, aka the Duke of Candied Apples), and keyboardist the Other Sean T. Drinkwater, also of Lifestyle. While Freezepop shied away from their '80s retro image in interviews, their sound and '80s pop culture references (they have a song titled "Tracey Gold") are one of the reasons they have connected so well with Boston's large college student population and the national synth pop scene. Friends apparently call the Other Sean T. Drinkwater "That '80s Guy." Freezepop, who play all of their music on a Yamaha QY-70 battery-powered sequencer, borrow both from the stylized new wave synth pop of the early '80s and the amateurish side of late-'90s punk-pop acts like Bis and Huggy Bear. After releasing two EPs in 2000, the band's debut, Forever, was issued in early 2001 to mixed reviews. Their follow-up, a deluxe EP entitled Fashion Impression Function, followed in early 2002 as the band's exposure increased when they won Best New Band at the American Synthpop Awards, became WBCN Rumble semifinalists, and had their "Science Genius Girl" featured in the Playstation 2 game Frequency. Fancy Ultra Fresh followed in spring 2004. Finding their niche in the video game market, the band licensed their material to the games Amplitude, Guitar Hero, and Dance Dance Revolution and then embarked on a hefty North American and European tour. 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. Soon after, the Duke of Pannekoeken left the group to return working full-time at Harmonix. After some deliberation, Enthusiasm and Drinkwater picked up the slack with new members Robert John “Bananas" Foster and Christmas Disco Marie Sagan for the 2010 follow-up Imaginary Friends. ~ Jason Damas, Rovi

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