Tears for the Dying is an American deathrock band that began life as a studio project in late 2003 by bassist/guitarist Adrya Stembridge. Stembridge's previous band, The Girl Pool, broke up in 1998 amid creative disagreements; afterwards she took a lengthy vacation from music. Years later, after attending the inaugural Drop Dead Festival in 2003, Stembridge's interest in music was renewed. She began writing songs and eventually decided on the name Tears for the Dying.