The concept behind The Dream Is Dead began in 2000 when Clark Giles (founder of Happy Couples Never Last Records) and long-time friend Jason McCash (bass player for the seminal Circle City hardcore band Burn It Down) kicked around the idea of doing a project band dedicated to putting the threat and politics back into hardcore.
A feeling of youthful rebellion and resistance to the status quo initially drew them to hardcore punk in their teenage years, and it was the integrity of the music that sustained their love for the genre.
In the meantime, in-demand Los Angeles producer and current Theory of Ruin guitarist Alex Newport (formerly of Fudge Tunnel and Nailbomb) was recruited to handle recording and production duties for the album.
Having recorded several current indie staples for the likes of the Melvins, the Locust, Mars Volta, and others, the band and the label felt he was the man for the job.
A short tour brought The Dream Is Dead to the west coast in March 2005, where they recorded their debut album, Hail The New Pawn.