Switchfoot’s “the beautiful letdown” (Columbia  Records, 2003) arrived on the heels of 3 critically acclaimed indie releases, and quickly proved itself to be the band’s  strongest album yet.  Aided by a solid fan base from nearly 10 years of touring, and the radio success of “Meant To Live” and "Dare You To Move," record sales eclipsed 2 million in the US while the band sold out shows all across the country.  

"Although this was our fourth studio record at the time, there was something new and fresh -- almost innocent -- about the recording process of this.  This was the most freedom we had ever felt while tracking an album -- no record labels, no distractions, just four guys making the record we'd always wanted to make.  This was also the most prepared we'd ever been for a record; these were songs that we'd played live countless times, songs that we'd lived with.  In fact, the process felt so natural that we finished the entire record in just 17 days.  But although this album had humble beginnings, I don't think any of us was prepared for the wild journey that we were about to begin" -tim.