Puerto Rico native Andrew de Torres (vocals) and Finland native Nico Hartikainen (drums, programming) met in 1999 while attending middle school in Everett, Washington, a city located just north of Seattle. They played in some minor talent shows together before the duo grew into a trio after the addition of bassist Marvin Kunkle. Eventually, the guys would develop into Danger Radio. Early demos were rougher and clearly more punk-influenced than what Danger Radio would evolve into as a sextet, which further included Andy Brookins (guitar, vocals), Spencer Phillips (keyboards) and Elan Wright (guitars, vocals). The band self-released its first EP, The Difference Between Love and Envy, in 2006, which was recorded with area producer Casey Bates (Gatsbys American Dream).