Meeting in high school in Calabasas, California, Adam Merrin and Keith Slettedahl formed the band in 2002.

[4][5] They have also performed with Elliott Smith, The Smashing Pumpkins, The B-52's, Elvis Costello, Black Francis, The Zombies, and The Flaming Lips.

The band did a promotional tour for See My Friends with Davies including performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,[11] and The Regis and Kelly show.

[13] Their song "You Belong to Me" is on the soundtrack of How I Met Your Mother's episode "Belly Full of Turkey".

[14] The song "Sons and Daughters" appeared as downloadable content for the video game Rock Band.