[10] Their early shows were primarily played at houses and lofts in the Brooklyn area,[1] but they soon branched out and began touring across the nation.

[12] The duo's first full-length studio album, Matt & Kim, was released in October 2006 on the IHEARTCOMIX record label.

The video for "Yea Yeah", which depicts the pair being hit with food from their refrigerator, has been considered one of the initial catalysts for their rise in popularity.

[6][7] The song was also featured in numerous commercials for brands including Mars Bars and Bacardi[19] and TV shows like Community.

[20] A De La Soul remixed version of the song could be found on video games such as NBA Live 10[21] and FIFA 10.

[30] Their music video for the song "Cameras" was released in 2011 and features Schifino and Johnson engaged in a professionally choreographed fight.

When comparing the budget for the "Cameras" video against the one for "Lessons Learned", Johnson noted, "We spent 10 times as much money to make this happen."

[3] They chose not to enlist the services of a professional producer because they wanted the album to have a distinct, "Matt and Kim" sound.

[33] The lead single on the album, "Let's Go", was introduced in the summer of 2012 via a YouTube video of basketball player, Pat the Roc, exhibiting his dribbling skills.

[34] The real music video for the single premiered on Funny or Die shortly after the release of the album and depicts the duo in a variety of uncomfortable or awkward portraits.

[35] The band also produced a video for the single, "It's Alright", which depicts the tandem blindfolded in bed performing choreographed dance moves.

[9] The second single, "Like I Used to Be", which features Travis Hawley of Night Riots, was released on February 23, 2018, after a snippet was previewed on Matt and Kim's YouTube channel a week earlier.

The fourth single, "Glad I Tried", which features Kevin Ray of Walk the Moon, Travis Hawley of Night Riots, and Santigold, was released on April 13, 2018.

[47] During the 2018 Christmas/New Year break, the band were approached to write an original song, "Come Together Now", for the closing credits of The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, releasing February 8, 2019.

[48] In June 2019, they launched "The Matt and Kim Podcast" series, regularly presenting hypothetical situations and how they might react.

With dedicated physical therapy, they were able to complete an already planned and on-sale extensive US tour during October and November celebrating the ten-year anniversary of their breakthrough second album GRAND.

Some of the dates offered the audience an opportunity to participate in the aforementioned Matt and Kim Podcast, recording episodes as part of early admission at those respective shows.

After a year plus of silence, the band released their version of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" on March 8, 2021, in honor of International Women's Day.

Included were their versions of songs by The Flaming Lips, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Lana Del Rey, Travis Scott, The Shins, King Princess and Jeremih.

Their first original song since 2019, "RARARA" dropped on June 16, 2021, on FADER Label with an official video to follow a month later on July 12.

[1][3][53] Others have noted that Matt and Kim songs follow a basic pattern[13] and that the music is simultaneously "elementary" and "ultra-entertaining".

[1][4][53] They have been known to infuse their live sets with samples or covers of songs including Ludacris' "Move Bitch"[5] and Europe's "The Final Countdown".

[54] In a review for Paste, Jeremy Medina called the duo's music "impeccably crafted indie dance tunes buoyed by disarmingly catchy, bustling beats.

"[55] Reviewing Lightning for Consequence of Sound, Chris Coplan noted, "it's no small feat that the duo continues to keep things intriguing, perpetually culling newer, fresher influences.

"Let's Go" was used in promos for the TV show The Mindy Project; on October 1, 2012, Matt and Kim performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

In 2013, "It's Alright" from the album Lightning was used in the teaser of CS50 Fair 2013 which is a course offered by Harvard on-campus and online as well as for free on edX and is attended by millions from all over the world.

In February 2018, their song "Can You Blame Me" was used on Facebook as background music to generated birthday videos summarizing related activity.