Unrelated to the early 80s US hardcore band of the same name, this Embrace is a UK-based quartet of musicians who, although latecomers to the Britpop phenomenon, are arguably its most promising post-Oasis standard-bearers. Led by brothers Danny (vocals) and Richard McNamara (guitar), the band was founded in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, in the late 80s. Their debut single, "All You Good Good People"/"My Weakness (Is None Of Your Business)", was released in a limited edition of 1,500 copies on the cult independent label Fierce Panda Records in late 1996. It brought rave reviews in the weekly music press and earned sporadic radio play. The result was a race among the major labels for the group's signatures, leading to a contract with the Virgin Records subsidiary Hut. The first result of this pact was the Fireworks EP, which charted at number 34 in May 1997. It built on the band's good press and confidence in interviews by mining influences as diverse as the articulate soul of Curtis Mayfield, as well as more conventional guitar rock sources. Danny McNamara explained his band's brash approach to the press: "It's not arrogance, it's confidence. If you don't believe in yourself, in a contest with hundreds of others, you've already shot yourself in the foot." As evidence of this, he pointed out that three years previously he had insisted on a hiatus in the band's activities because they "weren't ready".
This may also have been influenced by the fact that a Melody Maker reviewer in 1993 described their appearance at the Heineken Music Festival as akin to "U2's Live Aid performance minus the laughs.' Recent comparisons, partially inspired by the fact that the band are spearheaded by brothers, revolve around their similarities to Oasis. In keeping with this Embrace were formed when elder brother Danny took the reins of his younger brother's Gross Misconduct, a punk band who rehearsed in a shed at the bottom of the McNamaras' parents" garden. A new drummer, Mick Heaton, joined in 1990, with bass player Steve Firth finally completing the band's line-up in 1996. New demo tapes attracted the attention of manager Tony Perrin, who had previously handled the careers of Pulp, the Mission and All About Eve. The band's second EP for Hut, One Big Family, charted at number 21 and their debut single, "All You Good Good People", reached number 8 when it was re-released in October 1997. The band's series of excellent releases continued with the emphatic but beautiful "Come Back To What You Know", which reached number 6 in June 1998. Their debut album was released the same month. Despite entering the UK charts at number 1, the album was regarded by many as an anticlimax in view of the previous hype surrounding the band. A reissued "My Weakness (Is None Of Your Business)" also broke into the Top 10. The band returned in November 1999 with the Hooligan EP, a collection of roots-orientated material which indicated they had been listening closely to the work of UK media darlings, Gomez. If You've Never Been was released in September 2001.