Fugazi (; foo-GAH-zee) is an American punk rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. Fugazi are noted for their unique sound, blending of elements of dub/reggae with high energy rock and punk/hardcore-styled guitars, as well as for their business practices and contempt towards the music industry. The band, and others from the punk and hardcore scene leading up to the early 1990s, were among the early adopters of what grew to be known as the DIY ethic.

After the grueling worldwide tour the band had completed in support of Red Medicine, Fugazi took an extended break and also began writing material for a follow up release. By March 1997 Fugazi had once again returned to Inner Ear Studios with producer/engineer Don Zientara to begin recording what would become the End Hits album with the intention of taking a more relaxed approach to recording and a longer amount of time to experiment with different songs and techniques in the studio. The group ultimately spent 7 months recording the album. Due to the title, rumors began circulating at the time that it was to be their last release. Released on April 28, 1998 the album was commercially successful and marked one of the band's highest debuts yet on the Billboard charts. However, critical reaction to End Hits was mixed. Many critics praised the album's heavier tracks, while others questioned the inclusion of the group's longer, more experimental songs.  Fugazi began work on The Argument in 1999. This process saw the group taking more time than usual to write and demo material. Each member would bring his own individual riffs and ideas to the band, jam on them, and then begin piecing the songs together into various configurations before deciding on what would become the final versions. The album's recording sessions took place between January and April 2001 at Inner Ear Studios and Dischord House in Arlington, VA, located just outside Washington D.C. The band once again worked with producer/engineer Don Zientara. During the recording process a considerable amount of time was spent finalizing each song's production, in particular the album's drum tracks, in an effort to give it a unique feel. Drummer Brendan Canty explained to Modern Drummer that "We recorded them all very differently in terms of the drum sounds. We used a lot of different cymbals, snares, and ways of miking."  The Argument was released by Dischord Records on October 16, 2001, along with the EP Furniture + 2, almost 4 years after the release of End Hits. The album was met with critical and commercial success entering the Billboard charts and selling over 170,000 copies in its first week of release. Arion Berger of Rolling Stone called the album "bracing" and "intellectual" and Chris True of AllMusic referred to the album as "spine-tingling and ear-shattering all at once" stating that, "the band has raised the bar for themselves and others once again." He also noted that the album had "touched on strange new territory." By this point Fugazi were on tour less frequently, due in large part to other professional and personal commitments, they performed only 32 shows in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

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