Hoover was formed in Washington, D.C. in 1992 by guitarist and vocalist Alexander Dunham, bassist, vocalist and trumpeter Fred Erskine, drummer Christopher Farrall, and guitarist and vocalist Joseph P. McRedmond. The group first appeared on the Dischord Records label with the single "Sidecar Freddie/Cable" in 1992, followed by "Two-Headed Coin" in 1993, establishing a reputation for experimental post‑hardcore that incorporated jazz and dub elements. In 1994 the band released the studio album The Lurid Traversal of Route 7, which included the track "Electrolux", later cited by Vulture.com as one of the greatest emo songs of the early 1990s. Hoover disbanded the same year but regrouped in 1997 for a mini‑album of odds and ends and again in 2004 for tours across the United States and Europe, with continued recognition featured in compilations such as All the President's Men and 20 Years of Dischord.
