Met at Biola University

The members of Cold War Kids met at Biola University . They formed a band in 2004 when they would meet regularly in Jonnie Russell’s apartment above a restaurant called Mulberry Street in downtown Fullerton . Maust came up with the band’s name around 1997, during his travels in Eastern Europe with his brother, where they found a park in Budapest with missing statues, taken away after Communism fell. Seeing that there was a playground in the park, Maust said “…being in that environment just made the phrase ‘Cold War Kids’ pop into my head. I may have heard it before. I’m a Cold War kid, too – I was born in 1979.” Maust used the name for his personal website, but then he repurposed it after the band decided to use the name. The band relocated to Whittier, California , and began recording their first demo, which Monarchy Music released as the EP Mulberry Street (based on the restaurant where they regularly met) in spring 2005. Between tours, the band released two more EPs: With Our Wallets Full and Up in Rags , in 2006. Monarchy Music would re-release those EPs as one compilation album titled Up in Rags/With Our Wallets Full in 2006.