Cotton Jones Basket Ride, formed in 2007 by Maryland-based singer/songwriter Michael Nau after a hiatus from his indie rock band Page France, explored a more folk and experimental sound. Releasing three EPs under the moniker on Quite Scientific Records, the band eventually dropped "Basket Ride" from the name and put out albums like Paranoid Cocoon and Tall Hours in the Glowstream. Nau later released a solo album, Mowing, in 2016 on Suicide Squeeze, after taking a break to focus on family life.