The Webb Brothers are Christiaan, Justin, and James Webb, sons of the songwriter Jimmy Webb and Patsy Sullivan, a cover-girl model. They are grandsons of actor Barry Sullivan. Christiaan and Justin grew up mostly in Montclair, New Jersey, where they were one year apart through middle school and high school. They then attended Boston University together before moving to Chicago. In 1998 the band recorded a demo album called Beyond The Biosphere with drummer Neal Ostrovsky, who also recorded and mixed the tracks, and shopped it around to US record labels, but none expressed any interest.

However, the demo was picked up by London-based 7-inch-only label Easy!Tiger. It released Excerpts From Beyond The Biosphere (track listing: "Cold Fingers", "The Filth of It All" and "I'm Over and I Know It") in early 1999. The 1,000-strong pressing sold out immediately, and the band also came over to the UK to play some concerts.