Faultlines (pronounced Fault-lines, not The-Fault-lines) was born in the winter of 2001 in Iowa City, IA. After a dozen or so shows in and around the Iowa City area, the four-piece traveled to Chicago to record a six-song demo with John Emerson (known for his live recordings of early Slapstick and Suicide Machines) titled Sirens and Sailors. The EP, recorded in early June of '01, tasted like a mixture between Braid and Small Brown Bike, and provided the perfect soundtrack to a warm February evening in the Midwest.
In the following months, Faultlines saturated the Midwest with its indie-rock, and played shows with bands like Rx Bandits, Thursday, The Honor System, The White Octave, The Promise Ring, Piebald, and The Lawrence Arms. Along the way, the band developed a smarter, more technical hardcore sound ? combining equal parts melody and minor-chord intensity.
In preparation for its summer '02 tour, Faultlines recorded a four song EP called Two Blown Tires: The Van-Go EP. The mix was rough at best, but what emerged from the swelteringly hot garage and basement sessions was an explosive combination of screaming dual vocals, tightly-choreographed breakdowns and time changes, and delicately intricate guitar parts and melodies. In July of '02, Faultlines hit the road with Chicago's Tom Sawyer, playing 17 states in as many days.
While the band was on the road, the much-respected punk site, www.punknews.org, featured the band's "Upon Deaf Ears" as mp3 of the week. The song received modest praise from visitors to the site, and reminded everyone that the Midwest harbors an indie-rock sound all its own. Upon returning home, the band played shows with Desaparecidos, The Exit, Rilo Kiley, Dillinger 4, The Ghost, and many others.
During the summer of '03, Faultlines set out alone on a self-booked tour that turned out to be crucial for the band, despite canceled shows and flaky promoters. Though ?successful? shows only happened in Oklahoma City, El Paso, and Tempe, the boys took the opportunity to make new friends, see new places (like the Grand Canyon, prayer-booths in Kasas City, and Mormon monuments in Salt Lake City), and grow as a group of people stuck in a van together for long periods of time. Enthusiasm never waned, however, and the songs that have spawned since returning from the tour are proof that the only thing keeping Faultlines from greatness is time.

In August of 2003, after playing a show in Chicago, Faultlines began talking with Action Heights Records out of Arlington Heights, IL. A month later the band inked its first deal, and will be releasing its first full length in early Winter of 2004.

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