[3] Time Out have portrayed them as "Tokyo's answer to The Smiths"[11][12] although their soft acoustic melodies and retro sound make an easier comparison to musical acts from the 1960s such as Simon and Garfunkel,[3][13] The Beatles,[1][14] or The Kooks.

[19] Since their formation in 2005, a number of other musicians have made contributions to the band including Ayumi Sato on bass, Tomoyuki Yamada on drums, and Lensei Nishizawa on piano.

[3] The Watanabes formed during the summer of 2005 in the rural prefecture of Ehime in Japan,[20][21] where Duncan Walsh and Ashley Davies were working as ALTs on the JET Programme.

[23] In April 2007 they sent off their first demo to the Fuji Rock Festival, and were selected alongside bands such as The Bawdies and Avengers in Sci-Fi in the top 50 nominees for the Rookie a go stage.

[45] Another track from the album, acoustic green lullaby "Whales Can Sing" was championed by Ric O'Barry,[46] star of the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, as well as race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Munter.

[47] On August 29, 2013, The Watanabes performed live in Tokyo with former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum at an event organized by Ric O'Barry's Dolphin Project.

[71] Inspired by Guy's vision and assisted by the additional collaborative efforts of producer David Naughton and Australian composer Nicholas Buc, The Watanabes released "Christmas Hummingbird" on November 2, 2020.

[74] On the front cover of the novel, an illustrated character is also depicted wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with The Watanabes logo displaying artwork reminiscent of their second album, You're Dancing I'm Absorbed.