The group ultimately spent 7 months recording the album. Due to the title, rumors began circulating at the time that it was to be their last release. Released on April 28, 1998 the album was commercially successful and marked one of the band's highest debuts yet on the "Billboard" charts. However, critical reaction to "End Hits" was mixed. Many critics praised the album's heavier tracks, while others questioned the inclusion of the group's longer, more experimental songs. Fugazi began work on "The Argument" in 1999. This process saw the group taking more time than usual to write and demo material. Each member would bring his own individual riffs and ideas to the band, jam on them, and then begin piecing the songs together into various configurations before deciding on what would become the final versions. The album's recording sessions took place between January and April 2001 at Inner Ear Studios and Dischord House in Arlington, VA, located just outside Washington, D.C. The band once again worked with producer/engineer Don Zientara. During the recording process a considerable amount of time was spent finalizing each song's production, in particular the album's drum tracks, in an effort to give it a unique feel. Drummer Brendan Canty explained to "Modern Drummer" that "We recorded them all very differently in terms of the drum sounds. We used a lot of different cymbals, snares, and ways of miking." "The Argument" was released by Dischord Records on October 16, 2001, along with the EP Furniture + 2, almost 4 years after the release of "End Hits". Arion Berger of "Rolling Stone" called the album "bracing" and "intellectual" and Chris True of "AllMusic" referred to the album as "spine-tingling and ear-shattering all at once" stating that, "the band has raised the bar for themselves and others once again." He also noted that the album had "touched on strange new territory." By this point Fugazi were on tour less frequently, due in large part to other professional and personal commitments, they performed only 32 shows in 2001 and 2002 respectively. Fugazi went on what they have called an "indefinite hiatus" after the conclusion of their 2002 UK tour following three sold-out nights at the London Forum in England on November 2, 3, 4, 2002. The hiatus was brought on by the band members' insistence on spending more time with their families and to pursue other professional projects.