Give Up the Ghost

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Give Up The Ghost

Years active	1999 – 2004
Genres	Hardcore
Labels	Bridge Nine, Equal Vision Records

Give Up the Ghost was a hardcore punk band based in Boston, MA.formed in 1999 by Wes Eisold and Ten Yard Fight's Tim Cossar.

The band recorded a demo tape in 2000, followed by their debut release, a self-titled 7", on Bridge 9 Records under their original name American Nightmare. The band then recorded their second release 7", The Sun Isn't Getting Any Brighter. This was later combined with their self-titled effort to form Year One, which was released posthumously.

American Nightmare's debut LP, Background Music, was recorded for Equal Vision Records in 2002, and was released to much acclaim. In 2003 the band faced a legal battle against a similarly named band from Philadelphia. Upon changing their name to Give Up The Ghost they released their second full length, We're Down Til We're Underground was released on Equal Vision Records. We're Down Til We're Underground displayed the band experimenting with their sound, with longer songs that didn't follow the typical hardcore songwriting formula they had adhered to in their previous releases.

The band broke up suddenly in May 2004 the day before the start of a planned European tour, without playing any final show after they announced the breakup.

The band is most remembered for bringing a breath of fresh air to what many considered to be a stagnant hardcore scene. Give Up The Ghost's songs were fast even by hardcore standards, and their dark, introspective lyrics were uncommon for the time. Give Up The Ghost's success, combined with the success of contemporary Boston bands like The Suicide File, cemented the position of the Boston scene as the bellwether for new trends during the early 2000's.

Singer Wes Eisold went on to sing in Some Girls and other band members went on to form other projects as well.