Hellogoodbye originated in California during the early 2000s as a set of quirky, fun-loving emo rockers whose sound drew equally from childhood Nintendo bleeps and contemporary pop-punk. Their playful brand of indie power pop combined sugary sweetness, catchy dance beats, and relentless energy. Following a signing with Drive-Thru Records that helped them gain traction, the band achieved major success in 2006 via the romantic electro pop ballad "Here (In Your Arms)." Rather than replicate that approach, they moved toward a lush indie pop aesthetic for the 2010 release Would It Kill You?, then embraced a full dancefloor direction with the disco-influenced S'Only Natural in 2018—an effort that showcased Forrest Kline developing into a confident crooner and sounded like the work of an entirely different group.
The quartet, whose name derived from a line spoken by Saved by the Bell's Screech Powers, featured vocalist/guitarist Forrest Kline, bassist Marcus Cole, keyboardist Jesse Kurvink, and drummer Chris Profeta. They issued their self-titled EP as a free download through the label's site, after which a physical edition containing one extra track appeared in November 2004 on Drive-Thru, where Kline had previously interned. The strategy paid off quickly as their music circulated widely; "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" gained modest MTV exposure and built a sizable audience despite the limited catalog. Extensive touring followed, often featuring water guns, confetti, and costumes, alongside acts such as the Format and the All-American Rejects. The music video and live DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL surfaced in fall 2005, and by year's end the band had won the on-air MTV Dew Circuit Breakout contest, defeating Over It and Tub Ring. Early 2006 brought sold-out national support dates for the Academy Is..., followed by spring participation with Motion City Soundtrack and Straylight Run on the MTVU Campus Invasion Tour. A May appearance at the Bamboozle festival led into a summer on the Warped Tour, all of which built anticipation for the August arrival of the full-length Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!, whose chart performance was propelled by the rapid rise of "Here (In Your Arms)."
Subsequent touring gave way to difficulties, beginning with Jesse Kurvink's exit, followed by further lineup changes and a lengthy lawsuit that delayed new material until the self-released single "When We First Met" surfaced in late 2009. By that point the group had pivoted from emo-pop toward a lush indie pop style devoid of Auto-Tune and novelty tracks. When Would It Kill You? arrived in 2010, the lineup included Kline (who performed nearly every part himself), drummer Mike Nielsen, bassist Travis Head, keyboardist Joseph Marro, and guitarist Andrew Richards. After touring in support, including a 2011 Warped Tour slot, Marro departed in early 2012 for family reasons and was succeeded by Augie Rampolla of You, Me, and Everyone We Know. Old Friends Records later signed the band and reissued Would It Kill You? with bonus tracks. The follow-up album, again largely a Kline solo endeavor aside from drums plus select horn and string contributions, incorporated '80s influences and was co-produced by Joe Chiccarelli before its late-2013 release as Everything Is Debatable. Touring as openers for Paramore and Metric ensued, yet no further releases appeared until the 2015 geography-themed single "I Wanna See the States" created for PBS. After a hiatus, the band returned in 2017 with the orchestral pop-influenced track "Stare Into the Black" and a six-date run that presented Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! and Would It Kill You? in full. Kline had already begun work on the next record, which took a decisive step into the smooth-disco-with-strings-and-horns territory first explored on Everything Is Debatable. S'Only Natural emerged in October 2018, mixing tracks that evoked a 1978 discotheque with others carrying a pronounced modern R&B flavor.
