[1] The band comprised two key members: Christopher Owens, songwriter and lead singer, and Chet "JR" White, who played bass and produced.

Owens was born into the fundamentalist cult Children of God, but absconded at the age of sixteen from their community in Slovenia to Amarillo, Texas.

[2][3] It took him years of exploring common technology, hardcore punk and nihilism, among other things, to cope in mainstream society.

magazine, Owens related much of how being part of the Children of God cult informed his childhood and his music.

[2][5] When Owens turned 25, he moved to San Francisco, where he started making music and taking drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

[6] Owens then met Chet "JR" White, a Bay Area native who was raised in Santa Cruz, California, who began recording bands in his parents' garage in his teens.

[15] Billboard said "with Father, Son, Holy Ghost the band has vaulted the equivalent of three albums ahead, taking the conciseness of the EP and confounding expectations."

Spin gave the album a 9/10 rating, saying "with Father, Son, Holy Ghost's exquisite, beyond-indie melodies, arrangements, and musicianship (the playful "Magic," the elegant "Just a Song," the fiery "Die"), (Christopher Owens) and bassist-producer JR White flirt with perfection."

[21][22] On July 1, 2012, Christopher Owens announced via his Twitter feed that he was leaving the band though he will continue to record music on his own.

[23] Owens cited the band's constantly shifting lineup as the reason for his departure, saying in an interview with Pitchfork: "[W]e were replacing members for every other tour; I didn't feel like I had other people who were maturing alongside me.

[24] In a March 2013 Paste magazine article, Chet "JR" White talked to writer Philip Cosores.