The Matches
The Matches are an American
rock band from
Oakland, California, active from 1997 to 2009. Formed as the Locals, the group changed their name after five years to avoid conflict with a Chicago band of the same name. As the Matches, they self-released their debut album ''
E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals'' in 2003, then signed to
Epitaph Records who re-released it the following year. ''
Decomposer'' followed in 2006, seeing the band move from their
pop punk roots in a more idiosyncratic direction with contributions from nine different
record producers; it reached no. 18 on
''Billboard'''s
Independent Albums chart. With their third album, ''
A Band in Hope'' (2008), their sound became even more heavily layered and experimental; it was their only release to chart on the
''Billboard'' 200, reaching no. 179.
The band went on hiatus in 2009, releasing a digital album of previously unreleased songs, previously released B-sides and bonus tracks, and
demos. Between 2014 and 2018 they reunited several times for shows and tours celebrating the ten year anniversaries of each of their studio albums, resulting in three live albums and a new
single. A
documentary film about the band, titled ''Bleeding Audio'', premiered at film festivals in 2020.
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