[1][2] The band was formed by Nick Rattigan (lead vocals and drums) and Jacob Rubeck (guitars), and now also includes Henry Dillon and Noah Kholl.

The band achieved mainstream success after their song "Freaks", written in 2011 and released in 2013, became popular on the short-form video platform TikTok in 2020.

[7] The band established a growing Los Angeles fanbase, allowing them to play at the October 2016 Beach Goth Festival before an audience that included non-local attendees.

Rattigan and Rubeck described Nothing Yet as reflecting their lifelong influence by movies, saying that the song "The Strange and the Kind" could fit on the soundtrack of a modern Dazed and Confused.

[7] This third album was praised for Rattigan's vocals and its lead track "Disco", with its fast pace compared favorably to Vampire Weekend's debut, but criticized for reliance on clichés within its lyrics.

[9] The lyrics of the album's final song "Jamie" and its repeated line of "I love the people in my life, all my friends keep me alive" have been identified as particularly moving.

Generally, songs that received renewed interest through TikTok had been recently featured in movies of television shows, unlike the relative obscurity that "Freaks" had enjoyed.

[12] Following their signing to Atlantic Records, Surf Curse added bassist Henry Dillon and guitarist Noah Kholl to their lineup.