The band is fronted by singer and guitarist Will Anderson, who writes and records all of their music and performs live with a rotating lineup of musicians.
Prior to the formation of Hotline TNT, Will Anderson was previously a member of a number of small indie rock bands, such as Happy Diving and Crazy Bugs.
[2][3][1][4] Upon spending most of his twenties in local rock bands, he began to feel burned out, wondering if he should quit and focus on other aspects of his life.
[7] Moving into 2020, Anderson had secured a tour as the opener for indie musician Snail Mail, but the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the plans.
[4] This was done both as a statement on how music streaming services were hurting the industry, and as a way to force listeners to play the entire album rather than just single songs.
[9][2] However, he was eventually persuaded, largely upon learning that Sheer Mag, a band he was both friends with and respected musically, was also signing with Third Man.
Some songs, such as "Protocol" and "History Channel", were complete enough to enter regular rotation on the band's live setlists.
[13] The band plans on spending much of 2024 touring in support of Cartwheel, including shows in North America, Europe, and Japan.
[14] Anderson states that he has also has already started early work on a third studio album, which will be the first to feature a live drummer rather than a drum machine.
[14] Despite commonly being labeled as shoegaze by critics, Anderson noted that many music fans dispute whether the band falls into the genre, something he feels indifferent about.