The Shins released the 2001 debut album Oh, Inverted World. The album came out on June 19, 2001, and introduced James Mercer’s Albuquerque-based indie rock project to a much wider audience.
Several songs had roots in Mercer’s earlier group, Flake Music, but The Shins gave him room to pursue a more melodic blend of indie pop, psychedelic pop, folk-pop, and post-punk influences. Much of the album was recorded before the band secured a full deal with Seattle’s Sub Pop Records, including work done in Mercer’s basement.
The album’s best-known songs include “New Slang” and “Caring Is Creepy.” “New Slang” attracted strong early attention and helped Sub Pop decide to sign the band. Both songs later appeared in the 2004 film Garden State, which brought The Shins to an even larger mainstream audience.
Listeners sometimes confuse Oh, Inverted World with Chutes Too Narrow, The Shins’ 2003 follow-up. The latter was also acclaimed, but Oh, Inverted World is the band’s debut studio album and the record associated with their initial breakthrough.