Raised and based in Bloomington, Indiana, Addison learned the drums while Lewis took to guitar. They played both separately and together for various Indiana-rooted bands, such as Sleeping Bag and Vollmar, forming Busman's Holiday and self-releasing their strings-underpinned debut EP Old Friends in 2008.

After signing with Joyful Noise Recordings, their first full-length album was recorded in Farnham, Quebec by Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, Beirut) at a church/studio then owned by Arcade Fire, and mixed by Drew Vandenberg (Of Montreal, Kishi Bashi). Released in 2014, A Long Goodbye captured their lively, homespun-style approach to alternately humorous and romantic storytelling in song. While Busman's Holiday would often perform live with only their notably warm voices, a guitar, and a suitcase drum kit, the album added occasional orchestral flourishes and acoustic support to their sweetly melodic fare. Working again with Lawson, and this time with a 21-piece orchestra at their disposal, the full-length Popular Cycles followed in 2016. ~ Marcy Donelson