signed by 550 Music

After recording their third effort, 1998’s Three , the band contacted producer Pat Thrall to create a four-song demo to circulate among record labels. The process was exhausting for the musicians, according to Desveaux, who estimated that they performed at showcases for each major record label and were “passed up twice by each.” They more frequently began performing in New York City and continued to write, with Hampson adopting an edgier songwriting style. He wrote the song ” Absolutely (Story of a Girl) “, and the band recorded a three-song demo to once again shop around to labels. They were signed by 550 Music (then known as Sony 550 Music) in February 1999, and began working on their major-label debut album with producer Nick DiDia . The Madding Crowd was released in May 2000, and was the band’s highest-selling album, shipping over 500,000 copies in the US. “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” became a radio hit single , reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and within the top ten in Canada and New Zealand . ” If I Am ” was the album’s second single, but performed poorer than its predecessor.