The group started out originally as a swing jazz quintet called Jackpot Charlie when its members were in high school, with additional members Roy Coon (saxophone) and Tommy Acierno (trumpet), though members Sloan Anderson and Chris Depew had been playing together since middle school.[1] Their first EP, As You Were was self-released in 2005, followed by two further EPs, Heartbreak & Masturbation with Ray Salazar ondrums (2006) and My Best Defense (2007).[2] The band established itself in the local Los Angeles music scene and began to draw attention from local A&R reps. Ray Salazar left the band after Heartbreak & Masturbation to pursue other musical endeavors. After that they promoted several national tours in 2005 and 2006, including touring with the Vans Warped Tour[3][4] as well as scoring regular airplay on Denver radio station KTCL with the song "Zombies Ate My Neighbors" (named after the video game of the same name), which became a local hit.[1] Single File were also named one of MySpace's Top 10 Unsigned Bands in 2006.[3]
Their debut full-length was retitled Common Struggles[9] (former titles include Young Goodman Brown: A Book of Short Stories and Benson Shady Grove),[1] was produced by Howard Benson,[8] and was slated for release on Reprise in 2008.[1] The album's release date was later changed to April 7, 2009.[10]
