The Early November emerged out of the South Jersey music scene in 2000 after fighting for a spot performing at local shows with hopes of being discovered. Drive-Thru Records liked the Early November's sound --a hybrid of emo, pop and punk - and label heads Richard and Stefanie Reines signed the group. Comprised of "Ace" (Arthur) Enders (vocals/guitars), Sergio Anello (bass), Jeff Kummer (drums) and Joseph Marro (guitars), the Early Novembers caught the ear of the Drive-Thru figureheads with their demo tape and buzz on MP3.com.

The Early November released their label debut, the For All of This EP, in 2002 and scored subsequent spots on the Warped Tour's Drive-Thru stage that summer. In October of the following year the band issued their hotly anticipated full-length album, Room's Too Cold. The album remained a quintessential Drive-Thru record, with a mixture of punk, pop and emo glazed with a post-hardcore sound, but the inclusion of strings and ballads which highlighted Enders lush vocals made it special. After a whirlwind tour with the Early November, Enders launched a solo project called I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business (he released his debut solo album in 2004) and went on tour solo for a brief stint. The band began working on their sophomore release upon Enders' return and set to the studio in February 2005 with guitarist Bill Lugg in tow. That summer the Early November released a split EP with (former Movielife band mate) Vinnie Caruana's side project I Am the Avalanche. In July 2006 The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path, the band's ambitious sophomore album (in the form of a triple-album which was sold at a single-disc price because the Early November took a cut in royalties) was released. Based around a difficult father-son relationship and the later imperfect father-son pairing between the then-adult son and his child, the album featured the mellow The Mechanic, the rock-themed The Mother and the character based soundtrack complete with dialogue The Path.

In March 2007 the Early Novembers decided to go on an indefinite break from the band, although various band members (most notably Enders) have gone on to pursue solo projects.