Fondly was originally an America, Chicago-based trio, that produced two albums of indie punk in the mid to late 1990s.

[citation needed] The album’s acclaim earned Fondly a recording contract with local label, Scratchie Records, which was founded by James Iha and D'arcy Wretzky (ex-The Smashing Pumpkins) and Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne, Ivy).

After moving to the Bay Area, Burkhard built a small backyard studio and started developing new songs in collaboration with Grzenia in early 2012.

While Grzenia was still living in Los Angeles, they used an Internet file sharing site to exchange recordings, sketches and ideas.

Turning out nearly a song a month, by the end of 2012, they had enough material to create a digital-only, self-released reunion album called Fondly III, which was released on Christmas Day.