They had the style and concept for the music decided before they approached Keith Jones, formerly of Oceana, and Spencer Pearson, formerly of VersaEmerge, to be the band's vocalists, and both accepted.
[5] Decoder's debut self-titled album, which was produced by Matt Malpass, was released through Rise Records on January 17, 2011, to positive reviews.
Short weeks later, bass player, Bryce Sipes also left the band on February 5 due to his distaste with the music industry.
[13] On March 1, 2012, the band revealed that Liam Thomas was added to the group on bass guitar and clean vocals, replacing the positions of both Pearson and Sipes.
Guitarist Jack Burns was sued and faced criminal charges of $3,400 along with a possible prison sentence of three years due to financial debt ensued from a company that issued merchandise for Decoder.