[4] They are complemented in live performances by second guitarist David Pajo (formerly of Slint and Tortoise), who joined as a touring member in 2009 and replaced Imaad Wasif, who had previously held the role.

According to a 2004 interview that aired during their appearance on ABC's Live from Central Park SummerStage series, the band's name was taken from modern New York City vernacular.

Karen then transferred to New York University and met Zinner, a student at Bard College, in a local bar, where they formed an "instant connection".

[7] Orzolek and Zinner formed an acoustic duo called Unitard but soon decided to "shake things up a bit" by forming a "trashy, punky, grimy" band modeled after the art student, avant-punk bands Karen O was exposed to at Oberlin.

The band wrote a slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up supporting the Strokes and the White Stripes, earning a significant buzz for their arty and garage punk scene.

[10] In 2003, the band released their debut album, Fever to Tell, which received several strong critical reviews and sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide.

The DVD included a concert filmed at The Fillmore in San Francisco, all of the band's music videos to date, and various interviews.

Karen O told online zine Drowned in Sound, "Show Your Bones is what happens when you put your finger in a light socket", crediting "9-year old antigenius wonder-kid Drake Barrett for the insight.

It has been noted by Leah Greenblatt that "Gold Lion" sounds startlingly similar to "No New Tale To Tell" from 1980s alternative band Love and Rockets.

[13] The band toured throughout Europe and the United States during much of 2006, and also helped to curate an edition of the British All Tomorrow's Parties festival.

[17][18][19][20] On December 9, 2011, Karen O reported to NME that she had been working on new music with the band, hinting a new album was possibly in the making.

[22] The album features production by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek, Nick Launay, and LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy.

In June 2022, the band announced that they would be releasing the album Cool It Down on September 30, making it their first record in nine years.

[3] They released the first single, "Spitting Off the Edge of the World", featuring Perfume Genius, on June 1.