Hoobastank released “Crawling in the Dark” to U.S. rock radio on October 2, 2001. The first single from their self-titled major-label debut followed years of independent recording and a working relationship with producer Jim Wirt that had helped the band make its songwriting more direct. Wirt produced the track, which would also open the album.
Getting a record deal had required a change in priorities. Singer Doug Robb told HITS in 2002 that labels had passed on an earlier album. Hoobastank stopped concentrating on shopping their music around and began recording another independent release. Those new songs attracted the interest they had previously struggled to generate. A friend passed a demo to Island A&R executive Paul Pontius, and the band signed in August 2000.
Wirt was already part of their development. Robb said they had worked together since 1996 after an introduction through Incubus. His influence extended into rehearsals, where the musicians began cutting sections they expected him to question. A part could be enjoyable to play without improving the song, and they learned to make that distinction before entering the studio. Robb described their internal test this way: “It’s cool, but it doesn’t make the song better.”
That editing discipline carried into the performances. Drummer Chris Hesse told Yamaha’s All Access magazine that Wirt recorded to tape and worked through corrections until the parts were precise. Hesse spent two weeks recording drums for the album, sometimes devoting nearly an entire day to one song. The force of the finished recordings also concealed a lighter touch than he used onstage. In the studio, he concentrated on tone and where his sticks struck the drumheads, playing more softly and adjusting his setup to reduce cymbal bleed into the tom microphones.
The album was assembled around those drum performances. Hesse explained to Ink 19 that the band played temporary guide tracks with him, then replaced them as recording progressed. Bassist Markku Lappalainen recorded after the drums, followed by guitarist Dan Estrin and Robb’s vocals. The musicians’ parts were recorded separately, even though the songs had been developed together.
Making the “Crawling in the Dark” video presented Hesse with a different endurance test. In his 2002 Ink 19 interview, he recalled becoming ill after dinner the night before filming. He spent the downtime curled up on a couch, then returned for repeated performance takes. The shoot involved about six hours of playing, and he was still sick when the band left on tour a few days later.
The self-titled Hoobastank arrived through Island on November 20, 2001. Alongside its opening single, the record included “Running Away,” “Remember Me” and the quieter “To Be With You.” Its release followed support appearances with Incubus, Alien Ant Farm and Live, putting the band in front of audiences beyond its local scene.
The radio breakthrough developed over several months. Billboard reported that “Crawling in the Dark” entered the Mainstream Rock Tracks top 10 in its sixteenth chart week. It eventually reached No. 3 on Modern Rock Tracks, with “Running Away” subsequently reaching No. 2 on the same chart.
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