After gaining popularity in the Boston/Cambridge club scene, New Collisions was discovered in 2009 by Greg Hawkes of The Cars, who had become a fan of the band's live performances.

The following year New Collisions released their first LP, The Optimist, produced by Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, The Pixies, Hole).

Matt James of PopMatters praised the lead single, "Dying Alone," calling it "spunky, spiky, new wave with smart cookie lyrics and a melody big enough to earn its own zip code.

"[2] iTunes gave the album a positive review, writing, "With a sense of style and a minimum of irony, the New Collisions pull off the difficult feat of reworking familiar sounds into something fresh and vital.

[4] They also provided tour support for Blondie,[5] Missing Persons, Owl City, The Constellations, You Say Party, The Morning Benders, and performed at CMJ 2009 and 2010 and at SXSW 2010.