[3] The band was founded by Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott, and Luke Buda in 1994 while students at Wellington High School.

In 2001, the band expanded their lineup, and were joined by Tim Hansen (bass), Richie Singleton (drums) and Will Ricketts (percussion).

Horsepower included such singles as "This Charming Van" and "Let Me Die A Woman", which received extensive airplay on alternative radio stations such as 95bFM and RDU-FM.

This recording features the long time live favourite from the early days of The Phoenix Foundation, "Television Songs".

Buda's Special Surprise came out on Arch Hill Recordings, and showcases his love of synth pop and carefully crafted melody.

It has a more ramshackle feel than the music of The Phoenix Foundation and delves deeper into the Americana that Scott's songs on Pegasus hinted at.

This release was a switch from the Festival arm of Warner Music Group to Flying Nun, and features the single "Bright Grey".

In 2009, Scott and Buda composed the soundtrack for the film Separation City, which featured many Phoenix Foundation tracks.

He was replaced by Tom Callwood, who had previously provided double bass on the Merry Kriskmass track 'Forget It', and cello on Happy Ending.

The first song was Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" for MOJO's free cover CD Rumours Revisited (Issue No.

The Independent gave 4 out of 5 stars mentioning The Phoenix Foundation's version of "Don't Make Promises" as one of the highlights of the album[14] and a BBC reviewer said that "Kiwi experimental popsters The Phoenix Foundation call upon sublimely intelligent arranging skills to flesh out Don’t Make Promises.

On 7 August 2015, The Phoenix Foundation released their sixth studio album, Give Up Your Dreams, which was met with wide acclaim from critics.

Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins joins them on two tracks (Decision Dollars and Tranquility), and Nadia Reid guests on Hounds of Hell.