San Pedro,CA · punk rock · pop-punk

Toys That Kill

1 upcoming festival

Todd Congelliere's San Pedro melodic-punk institution (Recess Records) — off-kilter hooks and DIY-lifer charm, the scene's connective tissue.

Toys That Kill formed in San Pedro, California, in 1999, built around singer and guitarist Todd Congelliere, who had previously fronted the punk band F.Y.P. and who runs the Recess Records label out of the same harbor town. The band's songs tend to be short and fast but rarely straightforward, favoring odd chord turns, overlapping vocal parts and shouted group choruses over conventional pop-punk polish.

Their records and shows have long been tied to the Southern California DIY circuit, and Congelliere's label work has connected the group to a wider network of small punk bands on both coasts.

punk rockpop-punk