After the breakup of his C86-era band McCarthy, guitarist Tim Gane formed Stereolab in 1992 with his then-girlfriend, singer Laetitia Sadier. With a retro-futuristic visual sense, pointedly socio-political lyrics, and a musical aesthetic inspired equally by krautrock, yé-yé, and vintage soundtracks, Stereolab was an immediate indie sensation. After defining their early sound on albums like Peng! and the Switched-On series of singles anthologies, later albums introduced a gentler sound influenced by bossa nova, Tropicália, and minimalism.