Founded in 1998 (after working together under various names including "Crown of Thorns", "Guernica",[4][5] "Micronism", and others) by musicians Garrick Antikajian and Chris Roy, the band primarily works as a studio-based duo with Antikajian and Roy handling all writing, performance, and production duties,[1][2][6][7] with additional musicians added to the lineup for live performances.
Roy and the remaining members of "Guernica" moved to Seattle, Washington in 1993, where the band performed a single show before breaking up.
[5] Eventually settling on the name "Doll Factory", the duo recorded the self-released "Premonition EP" in 1999,[7] resulting in several compilation album and remix appearances, and attracting the attention of Neue Ästhetik Multimedia, an independent record label known for releases from Faith and the Muse, Jane Jensen (musician), and Das Ich.
[4] Releasing "Weightless" in 2003,[11][12] Doll Factory parted ways with Neue Ästhetik after the label fell victim to changes in the music industry – particularly the bankruptcy proceedings of Tower Records and their subsidiary, Bayside Distribution,[13][14][15] who held the majority of existing copies of "Weightless" at the time.
[3][18][19][20][21][22] Called a "mix of Industrial rock, goth, electronica, and a slight touch of experimentalism" and "industrial rock with creative electronics" with "an electroclash-ish edge" in magazine reviews of "Weightless",[23][24] the band claims to be moving toward a sound that is "more new wave, post punk, or indie electronic rock and not so specifically goth or industrial",[3] citing "current favorites such as The Faint, Interpol, Editors, Muse, Alpinestars, LCD Soundsystem, Ladytron, Fischerspooner, orchestral music, and Eastern-influenced artists like Niyaz, Silk Road Ensemble, Talvin Singh, Natacha Atlas, and Bollywood film soundtracks".