A duo formed by Isidro Reyes and Mark Solotroff (both of
BLOODYMINDED), The Fortieth Day was born out of ongoing recording sessions initiated in mid 2005, which were originally intended for an aborted, more-psychedelic, rock-oriented project (in part as Solotroff went on to join the band
Animal Law). Another band,
A Vague Disquiet, also utilizes elements of these weekly recording sessions. The project's uniquely dense and murky music is created though an improvisational approach using guitar, bass, synth, and drum machine. Recording sessions go through heavy editing and analog processing, prior to their release.
In late 2006 The Fortieth Day performed live for the first time on WLUW 88.7 FM Chicago, collaborating with
Sshe Retina Stimulants. In early 2007 they began performing live publicly, collaborating with video artist Lisa Slodki (AKA Noise Crush) to provide a striking visual element to the performances.