Short on funds, The Motels shared rehearsal space with The Go-Go's at The Masque in Hollywood. They played in Chinatown, Los Angeles, at Madame Wong's restaurant/nightclub. The Motels began to draw crowds and in May 1979 the band signed a contract with Capitol Records. Four months later, Capitol released The Motels' debut album "The Motels". Their first single, "Closets and Bullets", made no impact on the charts, but their second single release, "Total Control", reached the Top 20 in France and the Top 10 in Australia.