The Matches 'A Band in Hope' album

Originally known as "The Locals", the band was formed in 1997 by Justin San Souci, Matt Whalen, Matt Esposito, and Shawn Harris. Gradually, their style started shifting towards alternative rock. Their influences included fellow East Bay punk/pop-punk bands like Green Day and Rancid, as well as more mainstream bands and musicians like Elvis Costello, David Bowie, The Who and Joe Jackson. The name "The Locals" soon led to copyright infringement complications when Yvonne Doll, the frontwoman for the Chicago indie rock band also called "The Locals", contacted the band and asked that they change their name.

Eventually, under the new name "The Matches", they self-released their debut album, E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals. Then soon after landed a record deal on Epitaph Records, although they had already previously released the album E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals without a recording contract, Epitaph Records re-released it. The version released by Epitaph lacks the song "Superman", but adds the songs "Borderline Creep" and "More Than Local Boys", instead. As well as slight changes to lyrics on "The Jack Slap Cheer", and the last untitled track (often referred to as "Track 11", "Abraham's Song", or "Scratched Out").

Lead guitarist Jon Devoto has been quoted as saying "If you were to ask me five years ago where I would be in five years, I would have said 'In a band on Epitaph."

They have shared the stage with likes of Lit, Yellowcard, Matchbook Romance, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Starting Line, MXPX, Motion City Soundtrack, +44 and many others, as well as playing on the Vans Warped Tour.

The band's new record, A Band In Hope (release-March 18, 2008), will be their third on indie label Epitaph, preceded by Decomposer (September 2006) and E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals (2004). Both A Band In Hope and Decomposer are the result of the band's collaboration with myriad producers: Tim Armstrong, Nick Hexum, Mark Hoppus, John Feldmann, the Wizard Miles Hurwitz, Matt Radosevich, Mike Green, Paul Ruxton, John Paulsen, and it's rumored even Teddy Roosevelt's ghost, brought their talents to the record.

The video for "Salty Eyes," Decomposer's opening track, was named the number-one video of the week by the editors of rollingstone.com, described on spin.com as "one of the best videos we've seen all year, and was named the runner-up AlternativePress reader's choice video of 2007."

The first single is "Wake The Sun."

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The Matches - A Band in Hope