The founding members of the band, David New and Chris Powers, met in 2007 when they began playing cover songs on the beach in St. Petersburg for $100 and a fish sandwich.
The two formed the Hip Abduction in 2010, which Powers said New named after an exercise machine he once noticed while working out at a gym at the University of Virginia.
They released a self-titled album, The Hip Abduction, on December 3, 2013, which was supported by the single "Children of the Sun".
From October 24–27, 2019, they attended the annual music festival Suwannee Hulaween in Live Oak, Florida and promoted their then-new album To the Ends of the Earth.
The band is influenced from reggae and West African-influenced music, such as Paul Simon's iconic 1986 album Graceland.