Weird War began as a supergroup of the Make-Up's Ian Svenonius and Michelle Mae, and Royal Trux's Neil Hagerty after the members' main projects dissolved. Originally, the band, which also included Jessica Espeleta and Steve McCarty, was intended as a one-off project. After recording their 2002 self-titled debut and a track for the Colonel Jeffery Pumpernickel: A Concept Album, Hagerty continued his solo career as Neil Michael Hagerty, and Svenonius and Mae went on to form the Scene Creamers with guitarist Alex Minoff, formerly of Six Finger Satellite. As the Scene Creamers, the trio released 2003's I Suck on That Emotion, but later that year, the band lost a legal dispute with a collective of French graffiti artists also using the name Scene Creamers. Mae, Svenonius, and Minoff then used the Weird War moniker for their work, including 2004's If You Can't Beat 'Em, Bite 'Em and 2005's Illuminated by Light. All of the group's incarnations continued the Make-Up's commitment to subversive yet danceable music, expanding this definition to include elements of Krautrock, psychedelic rock and experimental jazz. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide