Brakes formed in 2003, when Thomas White and Alex White of The Electric Soft Parade saw Eamon Hamilton perform a solo gig supporting The Lonesome Organist in Brighton. Marc Beatty of Mockin' Bird Studio and The Tenderfoot (who also worked with British Sea Power, engineering their debut single and recording tracks for their debut album) was also soon recruited, and the band set about recording their debut single, "Pick Up the Phone", which was released on Tugboat Records in 2004. Shortly after forming Brakes, Hamilton was asked by British Sea Power to play keyboards with them, a position he held for three years.

Brakes toured extensively, and in early 2005, recorded their debut album, Give Blood, for Rough Trade Records, at Metropolis Studio, with producer Iain Gore. The album was released in July of the same year. They recorded and mixed the 16-track album in seven days. The album was released by Rough Trade Records to great critical acclaim, achieving five stars from The Observer...