FOR AGAINST has released a series of brooding pop records layered with surging wall of sound guitars and melodic basslines since their inception in 1984 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The original lineup comprised Jeffrey Runnings (bass & vocals), Harry Dingman (guitars), and Greg Hill (percussion).

After the release of the Autocrat / It's a Lie 7" in 1985, the group launched a long-time association with the legendary INDEPENDENT PROJECT RECORDS. Both of these songs appeared on 1987's acclaimed ECHELONS LP, beloved for it's unique brand of JOY DIVISION-influenced post-punk. ECHELONS was celebrated with a Grammy nomination for its remarkable cover design by BRUCE LICHER.

In 1988, the trio released the equally distinguished nine-song album, DECEMBER. The album is a fan favorite, and DECEMBER is now largely considered by critics to be a forerunner of the dream pop scene popularized in England just a year or two later.

While Dingman and Hill left to form The Millions, in 1990 IPR released In the Marshes, a six-song 10" that was recorded by FOR AGAINST in the mid-1980s. These songs are decidedly darker, and infused with considerable electronics.

All five songs culled from two 7" singles were collected along with six other songs to construct 1993's APERTURE. Runnings was joined by Steven Hinrichs on guitar and drummer Paul Engelhard. The new trio’s songwriting was more immediate, but perhaps the biggest change was the skeletal, less atmospheric production. APERTURE yielded some of the band's finest moments — such as "Breathless," "Don't Do Me Any Favors," and "Breathless."

In 1995, FOR AGAINST released MASON’S CALIFORNIA LUNCHROOM on New York's RAINBOW QUARTZ. The sound is somewhat bigger than that of Aperture, with a fuller, rounder, and less trebled guitar presence. The brilliant "Tagalong" includes perhaps the best hooks of any FOR AGAINST song.

On 1997's SHELF LIFE FOR AGAINST offers ten more songs, including several songs with a gentle, serene temperament. The album also included two rare excursions by FOR AGAINST into covering other artists' material: "Times Square Go Go Boy," was originally written by EAST RIVER PIPE, and "Seascape," was composed by Tracey Thorn of EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL.

After five years between albums, COALESCED (WORDS ON MUSIC, 2002) was FOR AGAINST’s triumphant return to the independent music scene. COALESCED was named “Album Of The Year” by Jack Rabid, editor of The Big Takeover, heralded by Skyscraper as “one of their best recordings,” and Pop Culture Press ennobled Jeffrey Runnings as making “a serious case for himself as one of the past decade's most underrated tunesmiths.”

After recording COALESCED, Hinrichs moved from Nebraska to Virginia. In August 2004 the band reformed with original guitarist Harry Dingman. FOR AGAINST is currently writing new material and are playing live shows once again.