Passerby has received wide critical acclaim and was listed as the #1 album of 2014 by NPR Music's Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson. Released on 15 July 2014, the album was co-produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, and recorded at his studio in Brooklyn. Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman, met and signed the band within 48 hours of hearing the master recordings. Poneman was sent the Passerby Masters by Peter Blackstock, co-founder of No Depression magazine.
