Lifehouse was a very little known band until their debut album, No Name Face, came out. The band is led by Jason Wade, whose parents were missionaries who lived in various countries until eventually settling down in Malibu, California. Wade knew his calling early on as a result of having both spiritual and musical parents. The band, originally called Blyss, got its start in 1996 after a couple of kids, led by Jason Wade, hooked up at a neighborhood church youth group. They went from playing occasional gigs in local churches to opening for Pearl Jam.

They got a deal with DreamWorks and released No Name Face in 2000. The album opens with the strongest track on the album, “Hanging by a Moment”. The guitar is very noticeable in this song, and the lyrics are amazing. They are sung to the singer’s girlfriend and to the world. "I'm running and not quite sure where to go/ I don't know what I'm diving into/ I'm hanging by a moment here with you." This album, as a whole, is very thoughtful, as is shown by songs like “Breathing” and “Somebody Else’s Song”. Songs like “Sick Cycle Carousel” and “Unknown” show a darker side of this album, but they are balanced by songs like the aptly named “Quasimodo”, which parallels the burdens that the infamous Notre Dame hunchback contended with.

The album is well complimented by songs like “Only One”, “Trying”, and “Cling and Clatter." “Only One” is sung to the singer’s girlfriend, talking about how she is the only one who will still be standing. “Trying” is a great song that talks about the fear in making decisions for yourself. “Cling and Clatter” talks about trying to decipher your thoughts and opinions in the midst of the cling and clatter of other people’s voices. No Name Face gives a strong finish with “Everything,” a song that has strong spiritual overtones and talks about how God is “the strength that keeps me walking/…the hope that keeps me trusting."