Noisecore titans Training For Utopia formed near Sacramento, California, by Focal Point guitarist Ryan Clark (vocals/guitar), his brother, Don (guitar), Steve Saxby (bass), and Morley Boyer (drums). The Falling Cycle, the band’s first EP, arrived in 1997 via Tooth & Nail Records. TFU’s full-length debut, Plastic Soul Impalement, dropped the following year, followed a few months later by The Split EP with their friends and label mates in Zao. In 1999, they released the industrial-tinged album Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine and quietly split up shortly after. The Clarks formed Demon Hunter in 2000. Solid State released the Technical Difficulties “best of” collection in 2004. TFU announced their return for a handful of shows in 2023, including an appearance at Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama.