Oeiginally Zachary Barnett (vocals), James Adam Shelley (guitar/banjo), Matt Sanchez (drums), and Dave Rublin (bass) started the band “American Authors” Boston, Massachusetts in 2012, but soon moved to Brooklyn, New York. As their band name suggests, this quartet writes stories through their music to share their struggles, high and lows, and changes.

Soon after forming, American Authors caught the attention of Island Records, which signed the band to a record deal.