Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional emerged in 2000 from Boca Raton, Florida, as the brainchild of Chris Carrabba. Initially conceived as a side project while Carrabba was a member of Further Seems Forever, the band quickly carved out its own identity. Carrabba recorded the project's debut album, The Swiss Army Romance, in 2000. The following year, he contributed to Further Seems Forever's debut, The Moon Is Down, but soon departed to focus on Dashboard Confessional. This period saw the release of the sophomore album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, and the accompanying EP, So Impossible.

By 2002, Dashboard Confessional evolved into a full band with the addition of three musicians, including former Further Seems Forever bandmate Jerry Castellanos. This lineup began recording the band's next album. Following the success of The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, Carrabba was invited to perform on MTV Unplugged. The resulting release marked the first time many of Dashboard Confessional's songs were performed with a complete band arrangement.