This Canadian New Wave/indie rock band was originally conceived in 1998 in New York City, but are presently based in Toronto, Ontario.

The band composes vocalist/synth player Emily Haines, guitarist James Shaw, Josh Winstead on bass, Joules Scott-Key on drums. Their first offering, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, came out in 2003, followed by their latest album, Live It Out, in October, 2005. The disc was a contender for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize and earned a Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album. Quite a feat for a band not particularly concerned with fame and fortune.

Haines and Shaw also perform with Broken Social Scene, and Haines has been a guest on albums by Stars, KC Accidental, Delerium, The Stills, and Jason Collett. Scott-Key and Winstead have their own side project, Bang Lime, and Haines has released a solo album under the name Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton.

Their songs "Monster Hospital" and "Police and the Private" have been used on the television show Grey's Anatomy. "Monster Hospital" has also been used in CSI: Miami.