Specializing in moody, acerbic lyrics and gruff, half-spoken vocals, singer/songwriter Mishka Shubaly began dabbling in music at the age of 17. He would later launch his professional music career in New York City with a band that broke up in 2001 after being upstaged by its opening act, the Strokes. Undaunted, Shubaly soldiered on as a solo artist, releasing his first EP, So Long, in 2004. Another EP, Thanks for Letting Me Crash, followed in 2005. Shubaly continued to write and perform, earning comparisons to the likes of Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave in the process. His third EP, To Hell with You, appeared in 2006 and was followed by his first full-length album, How to Make a Bad Situation Worse, in 2007.