Founded in mid-2008 by singer/guitarists Jeremy Cox and Jigmae Baer (the latter a former member of Thee Oh Sees and Ty Segall), the group was originally known simply as Baths; under that name, the group made its recorded debut with a cassette-only release on Wizard Mountain Records, followed by a 7" single on Rad Key Records. Cox and Baer then discovered L.A. electronic artist Will Wiesenfeld was using the name the Baths, and they added "Royal" to the moniker to set themselves apart. A copy of their cassette was passed along to Woodsist Records, a respected New York-based indie label, which struck a deal with the Royal Baths, releasing their first full-length album, Litanies, in the fall of 2010. When the album was recorded, Cox and Baer were accompanied by bassist Tanner Griepentrog and drummer Sheila Imandoust, but by the time the band started touring in support, the Royal Baths had a new rhythm section, Eva Hannan on bass and Eden Birch on drums. Frustrated with the scene in Frisco, the duo moved to New York and released sophomore effort Better Luck Next Life on Kanine Records. ~ Mark Deming