founded in 2001 by robert jessett, anne gilpin and chuck whobrey, the band won the 2006 fopp award for best new band and went on to sign a record contract with cheap date records. after the release of the single "sailors" - described by the bbc as being ""the best single you've never heard of the past decade"" - they split from cheap date to form their own label, bastard recordings, and are an early example of an independent band who entered into a crowd funding agreement with their fans. their 2009 single "chandelier" was a bbc radio 2 record of the week.