The Shins' roots trace back to 1992 and to members of the Albuquerque band Flake, who released a number of singles and the 1997 album When You Land Here It's Time to Return before disbanding. Singer-songwriter James Mercer recruited drummer Jesse Sandoval to record what would become The Shins' debut release, the Nature Bears a Vacuum EP (1999). Mercer needed a band to tour and recruited members of Flake, keyboardist Marty Crandall and bassist Dave Hernandez, who would soon be replaced with fellow former Flake Neal Langford. During a tour supporting Modest Mouse in 2001, The Shins were seen by Sub Pop CEO Jonathan Poneman, who asked the band to contribute to the label's monthly singles club. The relationship firmed and Sup Pop agreed to release the band's 2001 single 'New Slang' and debut album Oh, Inverted World. The album gained widespread critical acclaim and saw the band tour well into 2002. In 2003 the band relocated to Portland, and Hernandez reclaimed his place from Neal Langford. They recorded the material for their next album in Mercer's basement with producer Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, Built to Spill). The resulting album Chutes Too Narrow (2003), and a helping hand from Natalie Portman's character claiming "They'll change your life" in the 2004 movie Garden State, saw The Shins reach new levels of popularity, touring the world and selling more than half a million copies of the album. The Shins' third album again took shape in Mercer's home studio. Veteran producer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2) helped shape the album Wincing the Night Away (2007). The album debuted at number two on the Billboard album chart and reached the top 10 in the US, Canada and in Australia, and was Sub Pop's highest selling release.