A 2006 review on FasterLouder.com marked this progression, declaring: "No longer content to be another local band filling out the shoegazer scene, the five-piece are now capable of producing material of a far more epic nature".
Their first two albums, Hope Springs (2000) and Storms Dressed as Stars (2002), were both produced with Tim Whitten (The Clouds, Underground Lovers) at Megaphon Studios in Sydney.
The group finally entered the studio with Dean Turner, a member of Australian act Magic Dirt, who had produced Riff Random and theredsunband.
Matt Davis started the project, Bombazine Black, which also featured Danny Tulen on drums and Daryl Bradie on guitar.
Music writer Chris Wood explained the history between the two bands: "The Pavement/Gersey connection goes back almost ten years with Gersey performing its first US shows with Spiral Stairs' Preston School of Industry in 2001.