The band was formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade and Joe King when the two former school friends met up again in a local music store. They soon began regular two-man jam sessions that led to writing songs and devising a style pitched between the arena-friendly style of U2 and the authentic rock of bands like Counting Crows. Rounding out the lineup with two former bandmates of Slade's drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh, the Fray began playing shows in the Denver area. Their popularity grew quickly and their first demo recordings became local radio faves and the band was voted Best New Band by Denver's Westword Magazine. This all led to them being signed by Epic Records in 2004. Their debut album, How to Save a Life, was released on September 13, 2005.
