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Longtime mates Sam Herlihy (vocals/guitar), Anthony Theaker (guitar), and James Lawrence (guitar) grew up in the market town of Chichester in West Sussex, England, in the late '80s and early '90s. To keep themselves entertained, the three of them obsessed over the latest Brit pop phenomena. Paul Wilson (bass) joined the group around their mid-teens, and expanded their love for music. He and Herlihy landed a development deal with Parlophone during this time; however, only sheer luck worked in their favor. They'd skip class to record songs at Abbey Road Studios, but Herlihy and Wilson lacked direction and knowledge when it came to crafting an original sound. A few years later, a little older and a little wiser, they formed Hope of the States in 2000. They took their name from Albert Deutsch's The Shame of the States, the controversial book published in 1948 that ridiculed the U.S.'s unimpressive mental health system. From there, out came the military uniforms to symbolize their strict bo...