Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals to accompany himself.

Despite initially sluggish sales, Stop All The World Now was certified gold in early 2005,[3] and has produced a number of singles, including the hits "She Says" and "Collide", Day's most successful to date.

Born in Bangor, Maine and raised in Brewer, Howie Day began to play music at age five when his mother bought a piano at an auction.

[5] When Day's mother noticed that her son was able to play by ear tunes of television advertising jingles, she enrolled him in piano lessons, which he would continue for six years.

His parents owned and ran a popular local restaurant, which gave Day a public arena in which to start performing, playing every Friday night for patrons.

On the strength of these performances and demos, Radley secured Day a showcase at the annual National Association for Campus Activities Convention, where he played for 1,500 college talent buyers.

After the EP's release, Day relocated to London, England to record Australia's follow up, which was provisionally titled From a Northern Sky.

In addition, the majority of the album's songs were co-written with either Better than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin or Jump Little Children's Jay Clifford.

"[12] Sales of Stop were initially sluggish, but slowly began to rise beginning in late 2004 with the single release of ballad "Collide", which became a popular radio hit and was featured on TV shows such as Cold Case, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Bones, and Two and a Half Men as well as soundtracking a promotional trailer for the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

The 7-track EP contains live renditions of songs from Australia and Stop All the World Now as well as a cover of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over".

[13] After an extensive tour schedule following the release of Stop, Day decided to take some time off, during which he sorted through his emotions by writing songs, many of which have made their way onto Sound the Alarm.

[14] To get his desired range of sounds and moods, Day recorded in a variety of locations, including Los Angeles, New York (Joel Hamilton), London, Minneapolis, and Bloomington, Indiana, between the spring of 2006 and fall of 2008.

In 2004, Day was arrested and charged over an incident in which he was accused of locking a female fan in the toilet of his tour bus and destroying the cellular phone of another, for which he was fined.

[18] In December 2005, Day was arrested in Boston after reportedly verbally abusing the flight crew while under the influence of alcohol and sleeping pills.

While staying in a New York City hotel, Day allegedly choked her and threw her to the floor, causing injury to her face, hands, and neck.