DREAMCAR emerged as a supergroup uniting musicians from No Doubt and AFI, launching unexpectedly in 2017 through the arrival of their opening single "Kill for Candy." The project's polished immersion in '80s synth pop and new wave textures aligned more directly with vocalist Davey Havok's explorations on his parallel endeavor Blaqk Audio, while extending the lighter experiments bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont, and drummer Adrian Young had tested on No Doubt material such as the Talk Talk cover "It's My Life" and the 2012 Push and Shove highlights "Looking Hot" and "Heaven." Guided by core touchstones New Order and Depeche Mode, the participants gathered in 2014 to test the waters for the collaboration. Strong chemistry prompted them to formalize the effort, which they pursued privately alongside producer Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult, whose credits include Neon Trees and Walk the Moon. Anchored by the No Doubt rhythm section's drive and Havok's singular delivery, DREAMCAR issued their debut album later that year.
