Senses Fail started working on their debut album, "Let It Enfold You" in April 2003. During this time, lead singer and songwriter Buddy Nielsen was 18–19 years old. They worked with producer Steve Evetts (Saves the Day, A Static Lullaby, Every Time I Die) on their new label Vagrant Records. The lyrics were derived from a wide variety of sources. The title of the album was taken from a poem written by Charles Bukowski, the song "Irony of Dying on Your Birthday" is about the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and parts of the song "Slow Dance" include lines of the Dao De Jing. Nielsen stated that, "We just love making music and writing good songs. I feel like I've got a lot more to say and we've got a lot more to contribute. But even if things ended tomorrow, we've gotten 10 times further than we ever expected to get and that makes us feel like we've succeeded regardless of what happens from here on." "Let It Enfold You" was released on September 7, 2004 on Vagrant and Drive Thru Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, and has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide.