The band had formed five years prior as the solo project of vocalist/guitarist Alex Feder, who later expanded the group with the addition of several NYU classmates. Russ Maschmeyer (keyboards, guitar), Sam Rockwell (drums), and Chris Bonner (bass) all climbed aboard, and XYZ Affair began crafting tight power pop songs in the tradition of Big Star and Weezer. Greeted by a lackluster reception from New York's indie circles, the band targeted a wider audience with its first music video, which featured cameos from several former Nickelodeon stars. The video was a viral success, pairing XYZ Affair's clever songcraft with a story line involving members of Double Dare, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts, and Clarissa Explains It All. With their Internet popularity growing, XYZ Affair continued playing local shows -- this time to much larger audiences -- in support of their self-released debut album. Another recording, the three-song Trials EP, arrived in 2008, followed by the departure of drummer Rockwell in January 2009. ~ Andrew Leahey