[1] Jesse and Matt Kivel, along with childhood friend Ben Usen, started playing music together in the late 1990s but officially formed the band in 2005, during a year long academic stay in London, which found the three reunited for the first time since parting ways for college.
The members of the band were each influenced by London in different ways; Jesse found interest in Virginia Woolf, Matt discovered John Cale’s Paris 1919 and the writings of John Maynard Keynes, and Ben briefly pursued a career in international finance.
With the addition of drummer David Kitz, Princeton first gained attention in 2008 with their four-song EP Bloomsbury, a conceptual record about the group of British intellectuals.
[2] Princeton has received numerous positive reviews for their music, earning mentions from Spin, Stereogum and The New York Times among others.
[3][4] They have also gained popularity from supporting a number of popular acts, including Au Revoir Simone, Vampire Weekend, Saturday Looks Good to Me, Le Loup, The Ruby Suns, My Brightest Diamond, Grand Ole Party, Joan As Policewoman, Cryptacize, Phoenix, and Ra Ra Riot.