Recording for How to Start a Fire started in June 2002, with sessions taking place at Wisner Productions. James Paul Wisner and Further Seems Forever served as producers; Wisner handled recording, engineering and mixing. Halfway through recording, the band toured as part of the Warped Tour in mid-2002, and later embarked on an east coast and midwestern US tour with Breaking Pangaea. After returning home, they spent another month recording. Alan Douches mastered the tracks at West West Side Mastering.
