They typically compose lengthy atmospheric instrumental pieces, featuring layers of effects-laden guitar and a heavy usage of dynamics.

[1] This Will Destroy You was formed by guitarists Jeremy Galindo and Christopher Royal King, bassist Raymond Brown and drummer Andrew Miller in San Marcos, Texas,[2] in 2004.

[7] Early iterations of the band featured Galindo on vocals[8] and "sounded like Radiohead",[9] but after recording some tracks they decided the results were "awful" and didn't fit in with the rest of their music.

The band was contacted by Magic Bullet Records owner Brent Eyestone over the internet and he asked them to contribute a track to his label's It Came From The Hills Vol.

[19] This Will Destroy You then began to work with Magic Bullet on the basis of a verbal agreement;[20] in keeping with the label's DIY attitude, no written contract was ever signed.

"[24] The EP came in for particular praise from Rock Sound, who called it "an astonishingly beautiful work that promises a bright future";[25] editor Darren Taylor named it as the best release of 2006.

The band members were all living in different cities within Texas, due to work and school commitments, and so could only meet irregularly.

Christopher Royal King said to Rock Sound, "[Writing] was a struggle; when we did meet up, sometimes the ideas would come flowing, but at others we'd just stand there for the whole time staring at each other.

"[27] In February 2007 the band began recording with producer John Congleton at a studio in Texas owned by the country music singer Willie Nelson,[28] a process that took several months.

[29] However, after one of their concerts guitarist Jeremy Galindo fell ill; he was later diagnosed in hospital as suffering from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel condition.

"[33] Shortly after the release of the album, the band parted company with bass guitar player Raymond Brown, who left in order to focus on his medical career.

[35] The song "The Mighty Rio Grande" from the band's self-titled release was featured in the films Moneyball (2011), Earth to Echo (2014), and Room (2015), and in the series Lethal Weapon.

[39] They came together at John Congleton's Texas studio in July 2008 to record their contributions; This Will Destroy You tracking two longer pieces to Lymbyc Systyms three shorter songs.

"[40] Rock Sound's Joe Marshall echoed similar sentiments by saying: "Of course, neither track is especially original and it's fairly easy to predict the trajectories they take, but ultimately this is seriously beautiful music.

"[51] After it emerged that the whole incident was an April Fool's Day prank carried out by drummer Alex Bhore and Magic Bullet Records owner Brent Eyestone,[50] Daniel Hopkins from the Dallas Observer named it as one of "the funniest april fool's day pranks in the local music scene.

"[52] In May 2010, the band released an exclusive track titled "Their Celebrations" as part of PEACE, a compilation in aid of Amnesty International,[53] after a request from the charity.

[47] The band subsequently released a two-song 12" EP titled Moving on the Edges of Things in August 2010,[54] before embarking on a September US tour, supporting the metal group Deftones.

Each will perform different material from the TWDY catalog during their respective tours and shows, and both will release new music under separate project names in the future."

The band's compositions typically feature a wide dynamic range,[74][27] with slow build-ups to a "wall of noise" crescendo.

[15][75] The guitars are usually the most prominent feature of the band's sound,[76] combining ambient soundscapes with simple melodies,[15] and using a number of effects, such as reverb,[77] sustain and distortion.