They originated in the New York No Wave noise rock scene, but due to their layered guitar sound were sometimes seen as the American counterparts to the UK shoegazing bands.

In the early to mid-1980s, Poss studied under the tutelage of avant-garde guitar ensemble composer Rhys Chatham,[3] and played in the bands Tot Rocket and Western Eyes.

They are generally included in New York City's abrasive post-no wave scene which produced Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca, Live Skull, and Swans.

Musically, the band organised their three guitarists into providing an overwhelming wall of feedback and guitar noise layered atop more conventional song structures.

In an interview, guitarist Robert Poss noted the similarity between shoegaze and Band of Susan's hypnotic soundscape, saying "My Bloody Valentine have been contemporaries of ours, and we played shows with them in Europe and in the U.S. in 1989.

She has an electric bass ensemble, Big Bottom, and has collaborated with choreographer Michael Clark, author Iain Sinclair and visual artist Cerith Wyn Evans.

Her 96-day musical installation, Soundtrack for an Exhibition, opened at Le Musée d'Art Contemporain in Lyon, France on March 7, 2006, and includes contributions from Robert Poss, Alan Vega, Alexander Hacke, Kim Gordon, Mika Vainio, Ulrich Krieger, and Jenny Hoyston among others.

Poss released a pair of solo albums, Distortion Is Truth and Crossing Casco Bay in 2002, has created music for choreographers Alexandra Beller, Sally Gross and Gerald Casel, and has engineered CDs by Seth Josel and Phill Niblock; he has also worked in collaboration with Ben Neill and David Dramm.