The band was formed when Welsh-born Matthew Hitt moved to New York City in 2011 to pursue a career in modelling.

[6] Guitarist Jack Ridley is originally from the North West of the US while bass player Erik Snyder grew up outside Philadelphia.

[9] The band headed to Europe for the first time in February 2014 in support of their album, to perform a small number of London shows (including an in-store performance at Rough Trade East), and supported Cage The Elephant on their European tour and SKATERS on their UK tour.

[11] The band opened shows for Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines and Foals while undertaking their first headlining tour of North America and Europe in February/March 2014.

[15] In October 2019, Drowners returned to perform as part of FKR20, a musical event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Frenchkiss Records.