Stephen Wood formed The Battles in 1997 to record and perform his songs. The early incarnation of the band consisted of Wood, Scott Morgan (Loscil), Rob McBeth, Ted Hamilton and Dan Bejar (Destroyer), though a concrete line-up would never completely exist. The band released two albums, Lycanthropy in 2001, and Tomorrow’s Eager Hands in early 2006, and remained mainly a studio project for Wood and whomever was available.