Formed in November of 1999, Amityville, NY's Taking Back Sunday completed its lineup in December of 2000, when Adam Lazzara took over vocals and Shaun Cooper was added on bass. Taking its melodic hardcore sound from originators like Lifetime, Endpoint, and Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as guitarist Ed Reyes' emo band Movielife, Taking Back Sunday recorded its first demo, a five-song CD, that was released in February of 2001.

After a year of self-promotion and touring, including shows with At the Drive-In and the Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday was signed to Victory Records. The band immediately went into New Jersey's Big Blue Meanie Recording Studios, with producer Sal Villanueva and engineer Tim Gilles, to record their full-length debut. The album, Tell All Your Friends, layers emotional vocals, Reyes and John Nolan's dual-guitar assault, Cooper's rhythms, and Mark O'Connell's backbeat for a classic hardcore sound with pop-songwriting components. It was released on Victory in March of 2002. The group spent the rest of that year and much of 2003 touring, but when Cooper and Nolan left the band, Taking Back Sunday's future was left in doubt. However, guitarist/vocalist Fred Mascherino and bassist Matt Rubano filled out the lineup in time for the band's fall 2003 tour and recording sessions for Tell All Your Friends' follow-up. That album, Where You Want to Be, arrived in summer 2004. 
- Charles Spano, All Music Guide