Armor For Sleep

Armor for Sleep built a devoted following through the New Jersey quartet’s raw, emotionally intense songwriting, high-voltage performances, and steadfast independent approach. Frontman Ben Jorgensen, who handles vocals, guitar, and songwriting duties, started composing material the summer before entering college as a freshman and cut a pair of tracks at a neighborhood facility. Tired of handling every instrument alone, the admitted introvert connected with bassist Anthony Dilonno along with cousins Nash Breen on drums and P.J. DeCicco on guitar. Momentum around the fledgling group accelerated fast, landing the band in California by summer 2002 to lay down its first full-length effort, Dream to Make Believe. Equal Vision Records issued the album in June 2003, planting Armor for Sleep firmly inside the expanding emo-pop landscape and opening doors to select bills alongside Taking Back Sunday, Piebald, and Thursday. After captaining its own nationwide headline run, the band delivered What to Do When You Are Dead in 2005; the loosely conceptual set exploring themes of life and death demonstrated the outfit’s evolution toward a denser, more ominous sound. Near the close of that year the DVD A Comprehensive Guide to Touring appeared, followed by the group’s April 2006 signing to Sire. The next year “End of the World” landed on the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack, while the quartet unveiled its subsequent album, Smile for Them.