1993–2003: Original years Aside from a brief interlude in 1998 and 1999 when they were signed by
Interscope Records, the band recorded for the Washington, D.C.,
independent label DeSoto Records. Their breakthrough album,
Emergency & I, was actually created during their time at Interscope. However, they were dropped from the label shortly after its completion, and thus took it back with them to DeSoto, where it wound up being released. The
EP The Ice of Boston is the only item of theirs Interscope actually released during their tenure there. The band managed to avoid being in debt to the label, effectively being able to record on a major label budget with no consequence. The band referred to their situation in a later interview as "slipping through the cracks". performing with the Dismemberment Plan at the Iowa Union Basement c. 2001|250pxFollowing the underground success of
Emergency & I, the band received an even higher profile after being invited to open for the European leg of
Pearl Jam's 2000 tour. A co-headlining tour in 2002 with
Death Cab for Cutie (called the "Death and Dismemberment Tour") also worked well to raise both bands' profiles and cross-pollinate their fanbases, as well as forge creative ties between several members. Later that summer and fall, the Dismemberment Plan debuted songs for their follow-up to 2001's
Change. In 2002, the band put all the music tracks from their last two albums on their website, encouraging fans to
remix the songs. The result was 2003's ''
A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan''. On January 19, 2003, however, the band announced their decision to break up after a few tours that year. A final show was planned for July 28, 2003, at the
Washington D.C. outdoor venue,
Fort Reno Park. However, come showtime, a heavy rain threatened to damage their electronic equipment on the uncovered stage and drove off all but the most devoted fans. This led the band to add one more concert for September 1, 2003 — dubbed the "one last slice" show — at a sold-out
9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. By the band's breakup,
Emergency & I and
Change had each sold 22,000 copies in the United States.
2003–2010: Post-breakup activity Morrison took the post-
Change songs with him for further work, and released many of them on his first album,
Travistan, released in 2004. Eric Axelson started a band called
Maritime with former members of
The Promise Ring. They released three albums:
Glass Floor in 2004,
We, the Vehicles in 2006, and
Heresy and the Hotel Choir in 2007. On March 1, 2007, the band announced they would be playing a one-off reunion show on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at
Washington D.C.'s venerable
Black Cat nightclub. The event was a
charity concert benefiting Callum Robbins, son of
J. Robbins, frontman for
DeSoto Records labelmate
Jawbox. Fan reaction to the decision was overwhelmingly positive, and tickets to the concert sold out within minutes of being offered online. In response to the high demand for tickets, a second show was announced for April 27. Travis Morrison has stated that the band probably won't be getting back together, "except to drink beer".
2010–2015: First reunion and Uncanney Valley On September 13, 2010,
The Washington Post Click Track reported that the band would reunite for a tour, in support of
Barsuk Records' reissue of 1999's
Emergency & I. "We're not planning a new record," bassist Eric Axelson told Click Track. "But we're doing these shows and taking it day to day after that." The 2011 tour kicked off with a performance on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, followed by three Washington, D.C. shows (two at the
9:30 Club, one at the
Black Cat) January 21–23. The band would play 10 more shows in 2011, including high-profile appearances at the
Pitchfork Music Festival in
Chicago and the annual "Roots Picnic" in
Philadelphia. In August 2012, wanting to play "a couple of small, sweaty summer shows like we used to do", the Dismemberment Plan played small-venue shows in
Baltimore and
Fredericksburg, Va where they debuted eight new songs. As of August 13, 2012, according to Travis Morrison, "We have a bunch more [new songs] coming so we're going back to the lab to work on brand new ones and tweak these. No plans for recording as of yet, although certainly those conversations are happening now." Shortly thereafter, the band announced that they would be playing the
Virgin FreeFest in October, along with two more accompanying shows. On July 16, 2013, the band shared "Waiting", the lead single from their forthcoming fifth album
Uncanney Valley, which could initially be heard by calling the promotional phone number 252-64-DPLAN. Two more singles, "Invisible" and "Daddy Was a Real Good Dancer", were released on August 19 and September 11 respectively. On October 15, 2013, the band released their fifth studio album
Uncanney Valley on
Partisan Records. In November 2013, the band played the final holiday camp edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England. Following a New Year's Eve concert in 2014 at the Brighton Music Hall in
Boston, Massachusetts, the group went on hiatus, and no announcement was made by the band on its status.
Since 2023: Second reunion On January 31, 2024, without prior announcement, The Dismemberment Plan contributed a cover of the
Circus Lupus song "Unrequited" for
Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord, a tribute album to
Dischord Records. The song was reportedly recorded in August 2023. Later in the year, the band announced they would play six reunion shows starting in September, their first live performances in almost a decade, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of
Emergency & I, concluding with performances at the Best Friends Forever festival in Las Vegas, and the United Sounds NYC festival in New York City. ==Musical style and influences==