The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, that formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steineckert, and Justin Shekoski. The group signed to Reprise Records and rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their self-titled debut album. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third album, Lies for the Liars, in May 2007. Shallow Believer, an EP that featured most of the band's B-sides, was released in February 2008. Their fourth studio album, Artwork, was released in August 2009. A fifth album, Vulnerable, was released in March 2012 through the independent label Hopeless Records. In July 2013 they released another EP: The Ocean of the Sky. Their sixth album, Imaginary Enemy, released in April 2014. Their seventh studio album, The Canyon, was released in October 2017. Their eighth studio album, Heartwork, was released in April 2020 and a deluxe version with the b-sides from the session was released in September 2021. Their ninth studio album, Toxic Positivity, comes out May 19th, 2023. They have enjoyed much success with their albums achieving gold and platinum statuses in many countries worldwide. History The formation and early years (2001–2005) The Used formed in January 2001 with Branden Steineckert, Quinn Allman, Jeph Howard, and Bert McCracken. The band began composing songs without lyrics prior to McCracken joining. They held auditions for vocalists at Howard's residence, but were not satisfied with any of the vocalists' auditions, describing them as terrible. Allman then asked McCracken if he was interested in joining the band. McCracken was impressed with their material, and after being given some music, he wrote the lyrics to what would become "Maybe Memories." He returned the next day to record a demo version of the song and was then officially confirmed as the band's vocalist. During the early days of the band, members suffered from poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse, panhandling for change in order to buy food. They decided upon the name "Used" after friends claimed they felt "used" when contact with the band members waned as they became more engrossed in the project. They continued to write songs together and recorded a demo album in drummer Steineckert's bedroom titled Demos from the Basement. Steineckert sent their songs to producer John