SSQ (formerly Q) is a synthpop outfit consisting of Stacey Swain, Jon St. James, and past members include Dan Van Patten and John Van Tongeren, Rich West, Karl Moët and Skip Hahn. Their debut album Playback received praise from critics when released in 1983. As of 2020, Jon St. James and Stacey Swain resurfaced as SSQ, releasing a full length album of new material titled Jet Town Je t’aime. As Stacey Q, Swain had a solo hit with her single “Two of Hearts” in 1986. SSQ members stayed on as her band for television and concert performances. History Formation The original Q project was composed of Stacey Swain as lead singer, Jon St. James on guitars, and Dan Van Patten and John Van Tongeren on vocoder and synthesizer; it was a small American techno band. It was formed in 1982 by Jon St. James and Stacey Swain, and named after the James Bond character. Ross Wood was also a group member. The group only had two releases: a 7" single of their song "Playback" on Cocteau Records, and a four-track EP released almost exclusively to college radio stations that has become known among fans as The Q EP. Only 1,000 copies were printed of the EP. In 1982 the band reformed with two new members, drummer Karl Moet and synth player Rich West, alongside the official lineup of Van Tongeren, St. James and Swain. After the reformation, St. James was forced to change the name of Q because of copyright problems (famed producer Quincy Jones reportedly had "established use of the 'Q' moniker"). Swain explained in a 2006 radio interview that the band was renamed SSQ after Jon St. James "was fishing in a lake 'no bigger than a bathtub' and made a joke that the boat was the 'S.S. Q,'" referring to the current band Q. St. James had another reason for the name: "SS" stood for "Stacey Swain", who had become the most recognized of the band's members. 1983–1984: Playback SSQ first released their debut album Playback in 1983 under Enigma Records. The band's first live performance was held at the Greenworld Distribution warehouse in Torrance, which was then the location of the Enigma label. The video for "Synthicide" later premiered on West Coast television and brought greater notoriety for the five-member band. By 1984, Stacey Swain was already eclipsing her bandmates in popularity. The band ultimately shifted