released in June 2001

The band’s debut LP, Oh, Inverted World (2001), was released in June 2001, with a compact disc version following the next month. Much of the album was recorded prior to the Sub Pop deal in Mercer’s basement. The album received critical acclaim and solidified the band as one of indie rock ‘s definitive artists, while also placing Albuquerque on the musical map with Oh, Inverted World’s “gloriously skewed pop and [how it is] dripping with yearning, whimsy and brittle innocence.” The album helped re-establish Sub Pop Records as a dominant force in the independent community; the label had been without a marquee artist for many of the prior years. The group spent the rest of the year touring with acts such as Preston School of Industry and Red House Painters. ” New Slang ” proved to be a “stealth hit”, helping Oh, Inverted World move over 100,000 copies within two years, considered remarkable for an independent label; Sub Pop had hoped the record would sell 10,000 copies. Mercer was positive in licensing the song to a variety of media, confirming to The New York Times that he received more money from touring and licensing than record sales. The song was featured in a McDonald’s advert that aired during the 2002 Winter Olympics , which led to criticism from several corners, among those independent music fans and the band’s own hometown alt weekly .