Director's debut album, "We Thrive on Big Cities" was recorded alongside Stefano Sofia in Grouse Lodge in County Westmeath. Moloney wrote the songs. The band later spoke of their regret at having produced the album themselves instead of opting for a "bigger and rockier" sound. It was released on 6 October in the Republic of Ireland and included their debut single, "Reconnect". Within the first week of release, the album had reached number two in the Irish album sales charts, conceding the first place to "Sam's Town", by The Killers; the album went on to go Platinum and spent a total of 29 weeks in the Irish chart. Over 20,000 albums were sold in Ireland alone. Director played a sold-out show in the 1,600 capacity Ambassador Theatre on 9 December 2006. The album's success led to the band securing support slots with UK bands such as Hard-Fi and The Fratellis. A UK and European release followed in 2007.