After only playing two live shows over two weeks in 2013, the band recorded their debut album in a simple home-made studio in Rehbein's childhood home. Before finishing and releasing the record, the group released several singles on SoundCloud and on YouTube. In an interview with Edmonton's Sonic 102.9, the band said that it took them three years to write the song Stolen Dance. It was first uploaded to YouTube 4 April 2013 and they had low expectations for the track. However, it quickly became a viral hit, racking up millions of views.

The day after the video was released, the song Stolen Dance was first released in 2013 as a single and reached number one in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and France. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary. It reached number one on the Billboard Alternative chart. Their first big show was at a big festival called Dockville in Hamburg, with about 5,000 in attendance.

The band made their TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 22 October 2014, and that day they were nominated for Best Band at the German radio award 1Live Krone. They also won the European Border Breakers Award that month, and on 16 September 2014, they were nominated as Best German Act at the MTV European Music Awards. They toured the United States and Canada in late 2014. They were also guest artists on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and they played the House of Blues in April 2015, with plans to return to Boston as part of their upcoming North American Summer Tour. Also in April they played at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, with their album Sadnecessary at that point having been on the Billboard 200 for 23 weeks. Stolen Dance entered the Shazam Hall Of Fame at No. 15, as one of the most "shazamed" songs of all time.

The band has cited diverse artists as influences, including reggae and rock artists such as Bob Marley, Ray Charles, and John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers

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