New York forms the home base for the trio of bassist Keith Bogart, drummer Shane Chikeles, and Dan Coutant on vocals and guitar, who operate under the name Joshua. Their approach, built around melodic hooks within driving, emotionally charged indie rock, first appeared on a self-titled EP issued by Doghouse Records in 1997. Once two further EPs had been released and second guitarist Rob Suchan had joined, the same label delivered the group’s debut full-length A Whole New Theory in 1999. Suchan subsequently left to concentrate on the Moog-indie sound of Koufax.