Elverum began the Microphones initially as a solo project, releasing cassette demos of tests and experiments.

[3] The CD Tests, released in June 1998, was a compilation album comprising tracks from previous cassettes.

[7] In September 2000, the studio album It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water was released on K, solidifying Don't Wake Me Up's sound.

[11] Two 7-inches were released in 2001: "The Moon" and "I Can't Believe You Actually Died", the former included on The Glow Pt.

In February 2022, Completely Everything, 1996–2021 was released, a compilation box set of the five Microphones studio albums, Early Tapes, and Song Islands.