The High Violets were formed in late 1998 after the breakup of Portland band The Bella Low by former members Clint Sargent, Luke Strahota and Violet Bianca Grace. This lineup was short-lived however as Grace left after a few gigs. Sargent and Strahota then joined forces with Allen Davis of Echoplex. Soon after Sargent recruited Kaitlyn Ni Donovan to complete the line up. After self-releasing an EP entitled Dream Away, they signed to Irish label Reverb Records and released 44 Down in 2002. Four years later, they followed up with the critically acclaimed To Where You Are, also on Reverb. The group also performed at SXSW in 2006. In 2007, they performed at NXNE and released a remix album, Satellite Remixes, which featured Ulrich Schnauss and Carmen Rizzo among others. Although the band is currently on hiatus from touring and live performances they have been active in the studio. Their fifth full-length album Heroes and Halos, released April 1, 2016, was listed on PopMatters 10 Best Shoegaze and Dream pop Albums 2016.