Gates formed in 2011 while the various band members had settled in New Jersey. Koozer, moved from Arizona while King, Maroney and Crapanzano were in the band Bears & Bright Lights. Koozer joined the band and Dye replaced the original singer, prompting the name change to Gates. Originally from Michigan, Dye moved to Brooklyn in 2010 after earning a degree in Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media. He interned at a number of studios, including Levon Helm Studios under the tutelage of Justin Guip. In 2011 they self-released debut EP titled The Sun Will Rise And Lead Me Home. The following year they released their second self-released EP titled You Are All You Have Left To Fear. Both recordings were produced and engineered by Dye. In 2012 their six-track debut EP was re-released on vinyl by Devildance Records. On April 30, 2013 Gates signed to Pure Noise Records. Their second EP was remixed by Mike Watts and re-released in the fall of 2013 via Pure Noise Records. In April 2014 Gates announced they were supporting Have Mercy and Pentimento on their co-headlining tour. They also supported The Gaslight Anthem in the same year, and embarked on their first UK tour with Fallacies. In September 2014, Gates premiered a new song titled "Low" from their first full-length album. In September, the band released another song from the album titled "Not My Blood" and premiered "Born Dead" via Alternative Press. Bloom & Breathe was released on October 21, 2014 via Pure Noise Records. It was recorded at VuDu Studios and produced by Mike Watts and Kevin Dye. In February 2016 the band release a split 7" with Matthew Pryor that featured the song "Captive". In April 2016, the band debuted a music video for their new song, "Habit". The track comes from their second release, Parallel Lives on Pure Noise Records that appeared on June 3, 2016. As opposed to the previous record, Dye began using a piano and a sampler to develop songs such as "Color Worn". On alreadyheard.com the album was described as an "airy and ethereal listen". As with the previous effort, it was co-produced by Dye and Mike Watts and recorded at VuDu studios.
Style
For the first two EPs and Bloom & Breathe the band worked on arrangements before Dye would add his lyrics. He noted that he found the lyric writing process for the first album " very difficult and frustrating". On the second record he largely wrote songs on an acoustic guitar where majority of the lyrics had already been written.
