I Am the Movie is the debut studio album by American rock band Motion City Soundtrack, released on June 24, 2003, through Epitaph Records. The band had recorded several EPs prior to recording a full-length album, and their first attempts at doing so were unsuccessful. The album was originally recorded in 10 days at Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas, with producer Ed Rose in February 2002. The band found the sessions stressful considering the lack of time. Starting in mid-2002 at their concerts and online they distributed the album in the form of a CD which was hand-packaged inside of a floppy disk. The group attracted attention from several labels by the end of the year, and signed with independent label Epitaph in January 2003. They returned to Black Lodge for additional recording and remixing, with new bassist Matthew Taylor dubbing over the original bassist's parts, who had since left the band. Epitaph's version of the album—which included four new songs—was released on June 24, 2003, to critical acclaim. In the U.S., the album peaked at number 42 on Billboard Independent Albums chart. It was supported by the singles "My Favorite Accident" and "The Future Freaks Me Out". Background Motion City Soundtrack was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1997 by singer-songwriter Justin Pierre and guitarist Joshua Cain, who had previously played in a number of bands. The band went through several lineup changes. Through these, Cain and Pierre would often have to take over keyboard duties during shows. The group's first release was a 7-inch single, "Promenade / Carolina", released in 1999. Their next two releases, both extended plays—Kids for America and Back to the Beat—were released the following year. Over the course of the early 2000s, the band continued to tour and shuffle through members. In late 2001, while touring in Milton, Pennsylvania with the band Submerge, they convinced two of its members—bassist Matthew Taylor and drummer Tony Thaxton—to join Motion City. The band originally recorded an album prior to making I Am the Movie that they were unsatisfied with. The members of the band Ultimate Fakebook, with whom Motion City would often play shows, suggested they employ producer Ed Rose. They sent the original album to Rose in hopes of salvaging some material, but he advised them to just start over. Jesse Johnson, a friend and co-worker of Cain's, joined the band as keyboardist just three weeks