Initially forming as "Vent" in the early 1990s, the band changed their name to Audiovent upon signing with Atlantic Records in 2001.
The band released their one and only album on a major record label, Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris, in 2002.
The band's origins trace back to the members attending middle school, when lead singer Jason Boyd began playing music with friend bassist Paul Fried.
[7] The band continued to practice together throughout high school, and began to build up a base by playing local shows.
[8] The album greatly increased their local popularity, something the band had difficulty coping with, leading to much in-fighting between members.
[9] The band hadn't initially planned on doing this, but went with it once they realized how well their old songs sounded when they were re-recorded in a high-tech studio with a professional producer and equipment like Pro-Tools.
[2] After its release, they spent the second half of the year touring in support of the album with Saliva, Theory of a Deadman,[14] and Our Lady Peace.
[20][21] The band continued to push forward, spending the remainder of the year in the studio recording a follow-up album.
[17] He also stated the band had been working with record producer Tony Berg on some of the demos, with the hopes of entering the studio with him in early 2004.
[22] While largely quiet during this period, the band reemerged in May 2004 by announcing they'd be playing live shows in May and June, but under a new, temporary moniker "Nigel", to represent the stylistic shift in their new music.
[21][25] Agent Sparks recorded two releases without any success, an EP, Not So Merry in 2005, and a full album, Red Rover in 2006, before disbanding themselves in 2007.
[32] The band purposely used a traditional "guitar, bass, and drum" rock sound in their music, in efforts to distance themselves from the DJs, rapped vocals, and angsty themes commonly found in nu metal and rap metal's music, which was at its peak of popularity upon the band's major label debut.
[2] Music journalists noted a diversity between their songs as well, with Margo Whitman of Billboard described them as having "cuts that run the gamut from acoustic-type ballads to hardcore rock numbers".
[1] The band was greatly influenced by classic rock, such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie.
"[33]Boyd states the band was also influenced by soul, funk, and jazz in a general sense,[8] and metal in their earlier days.