It was revealed on December 27, 2009, that Mike Fuentes had recorded all the drum tracks in one day, at Ocean Studios in Burbank, California. Green was selected as the producer because, according to Fuentes, albums he had previously worked on 'sounded amazing', and he was 'a very down to earth and passionate person'. The album was recorded between December 2009 and January 2010 in Los Angeles with producer Mike Green, with a planned release later that year. However, none of the songs made it to the final cut.

Like their previous record, A Flair for the Dramatic (2007), singer-songwriter Curtis Peoples joined Pierce the Veil to help write songs. Selfish Machines, and the band's next album Collide with the Sky (2012), was written in a cabin that belonged to Fearless Records' president Bob Becker.

The band was writing and demoing new material at their home studio in November 2009. In April 2009, it was revealed that the band were in the process of writing for their next album. Fuentes also said in the interview that he was uncertain when the album would be released, but that it would be released by Equal Vision. In an interview with AbsolutePunk in early 2009, guitarist and vocalist Vic Fuentes revealed that Pierce the Veil's next album would be influenced by their fans. The list included Pierce the Veil's second album, which was listed for release in the Autumn.

Despite endlessly melodic vocals and only the barest hints of hardcore screeching, a propensity for ribboning guitar and an overall sonic toughness keep the band in touch with its crust-punk roots, as accessible to the mainstream as they may be.In November 2008, Alternative Press posted a list detailing their most anticipated album releases for the following year.

In addition, the band has toured extensively, including several appearances on the Vans Warped Tour and Bamboozle. As Pierce the Veil, they have released two albums, A Flair for the Dramatic in 2007 and Selfish Machines in 2010. Following the release, the band broke up and the Fuentes brothers renamed themselves yet again. Local buzz generated by a pair of self-released albums and live gigs landed the band a contract with Equal Vision Records a copyright tangle forced them to change their name to Before Today before releasing their debut, A Celebration of an Ending. San Diego-based melodic emo-metal quartet Pierce the Veil was launched as Early Times by brothers Mike and Vic Fuentes amid the SoCal post-hardcore scene in 1998.

Pierce the veil songs about ex