At the close of 1999, Jimmy Eat World negotiated their exit from their record deal with Capitol, the major label they'd signed to while still in their teens. In truth, the Arizona emo quartet didn't have to fight too hard for their release: though critically acclaimed and well-received on the underground, neither of their records for Capitol - 1996's Static Prevails and 1999's Clarity - had achieved sales anywhere near the label's expectations. Free agents, the band also decided to part company with their management, wiping the slate clean, business-wise, as they sought to rebuild their profile and relaunch their career in the new millennium.
"We had surrounded ourselves with the wrong kind of people," drummer Zach Lind told the Phoenix New Times newspaper. "Looking back, they didn't really even understand us, who we were. We needed to be on our own for a while. No label, no management. We needed to do it ourselves."
In order to keep their heads above water financially, the four band members took on day jobs: frontman Jim Adkins sold art supplies, guiarist Tom Linton worked in construction, bassist Rick Burch sold parts for cars, and Lind briefly became a car salesman. None of the four were entirely happy about being assimilated back into the 9 - 5 rat race, but this cold slap of reality ensured that their minds were laser focussed on making their next batch of songs the very best that they could be. The goal, Jim Adkins recalled, was to write "the most precise, simple pop rock possible".
