Archetypal US indie rock band formed in 2000 in California by Keith Murray (b. 10 May 1977, USA; guitar/vocals), Chris Cain (b. 1 September 1977, USA; bass) and Michael Tapper (b. USA; drums). The trio met while attending Pomona College in Claremont, and after graduation relocated to Los Angeles and then New York in order to launch their career. They spent the next three years in obscurity, playing poorly attended live shows and releasing a debut album and two EPs through their own website. Safety, Fun, And Learning (In That Order), Bitchin' and In Action revealed a band in thrall to late 70s new wave bands and with a neat line lyrical self-deprecation. 2004's five-song demo The Wolf's Hour made bigger waves, with the melodic art-rock crunch of "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" echoing the sound popularised by "indie mainstream" bands such as Franz Ferdinand and the Killers.
The trio was championed by UK radio DJ Steve Lamacq after he heard their demo and attended their performance at the 2005 SXSW festival. A major label recording contract with Virgin Records helped promote their music to a wider audience, with "It's A Hit" and "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" gaining extensive radio play in the UK. The trio's debut album With Love And Squalor (named after a J.D. Salinger short story) was released in the UK at the end of the year, and at the start of 2006 in their homeland. Tapper left the band in November 2007.
