Halifax, from Thousand Oaks, California, formed in 2002. They released Start Back at Start on ECA records, and by 2003 thier lineup had changed. Then, in 2004, Halifax released A Writer's Reference EP on No Milk Records. At that time they were still unsigned, so they played some tours including the Vans Warped Tour. Finally, they signed with Drive-Thru records, of which the drummer Tommy Guindon had previously worked as an intern for.