Surf City became one of New Zealand's most buzzed-about bands in the early 2000s with their energetic mélange of '60s-style pop melodies, Kiwi indie pop in the manner of the Clean and Tall Dwarfs, ringing surf guitar leads, and noisy indie rock influences such as the Pixies, Pavement, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. In fact, JAMC helped inspire the group's name; founders Josh Kennedy and Davin Stoddard, who met while browsing at a video store, originally named the band the Fibs, but soon changed the moniker to Kill Surf City after a rare Jesus and Mary Chain B-side. Eager to move away from the monolithic and atonal sounds that were dominating the Kiwi scene at the time, guitarists Kennedy and Stoddard joined forces in 2004 and recruited drummer Logan Collins and bassist Jamie Kennedy (Josh's sibling) to round out the new act.