keyboards. Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan wrote that this departure did not seem as drastic for Pryor, who had been exploring similar sounds with his side effort the New Amsterdams. Bassist Rob Pope said they wanted to make an album that was less "guitar-rock-oriented", opting to focus more on the songs' arrangements. Pryor said most of the songs were "sort of questioning where you're at and what you want to do and ultimately coming to the conclusion that you've got to be happy with what you're doing." The album's title is taken from "Walking on a Wire", which was originally titled "Career Killer"; the song talks about a relationship failing. "Overdue" is about Pryor's dad and things he thinks about as a parent himself: "If I'm going to learn anything from my parents, it's going to be what not to do." Release and promotion On March 22, 2002, On a Wire was announced for release in two months' time; alongside this, the album's track listing and artwork were posted online. The following month, the band performed at Skate and Surf Fest. On April 25, 2002, "Overdue" was made available for streaming through an e-card on the band's website. On a Wire was released through independent label Vagrant Records on May 14, 2002. The album's artwork was created by Travis Millard; Pryor said it was "incredibly complicated" as the band wanted it to stand out when compared to the covers of their other albums. In May and June, the group went on a headlining US tour with support from Hot Rod Circuit, the Jealous Sound, Rhett Miller and Audio Learning Center. The album was also released in two record versions: black 180 gram vinyl and limited edition picture disc. On June 21, a music video was released for "Overdue" on the group's website, consisting of animation made by Millard. Around this time, "Overdue" was released as a single. The video had a tiny bit of success, receiving a few late-night plays on MTV and was in rotation for a week at MTV2. The band spent a week at home, before going on an east coast US tour in June and July with Superchunk and Hot Rod Circuit. After this, they performed "Stay Gone" on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and appeared at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. In August, the band went on a European tour, which included a number