Pensive’s early internet success came while founders Julio Godoy and Patrick Smith were still in high school, with their independent EP Something About the Stars. One song, “The 3rd of July,” earned cyber-fame on the original MP3.com, racking up 170,000 plays and topping the site's Pop Punk Chart for 76 days. Pensive also appeared on the site's Top 40 chart for 48 days, where “The 3rd of July” peaked at number 14.

In 2009, the band teamed up with Urban Network, Fase 1 Entertainment, and Fontana Universal to rerelease and promote their album Artifacts Special Edition. Originally self-released, the new version of Artifacts includes remixed songs and additional tracks like “Soledad,” sung in Spanish by bilingual singer Julio Godoy.

2009 also saw the debut of Pensive: The Band Next Door, an eight-part web-based reality series with episodes like “Pensive v. Food,” the band’s comedic eating challenge at the popular Southern California In & Out Burger. Other episodes visit “The Pensive House,” recreate the broken ankle of guitarist Patrick Smith on tour last year, follow the band behind the scenes at a sold-out San Diego show, and follow the band to the Imperial County Fair.