Neutral Milk Hotel is an American indie band often noted as an inspiration for bands such as Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, and Bon Iver. Jeff Magnum created the band in the early 1990s when he released self-made demo cassettes that experimented with sound and musicality, one track comprised of a layering of voices answering the question, "What does the digestion machine mean to you?" These recordings evolved into the their signature mix of eclectic lyrics and experimental musicality and in 1994 the first Neutral Milk Hotel album, Everything Is, was released on Cher Doll Records.

After the release of Everything Is, the band moved to Denver, Colorado, and released their second album,On Avery Island, through Merge Records in 1996. This led to their next album, 1998's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, which was a critical and commercial success. This album was stated as being inspired by the story of Anne Frank. They performed a number of concerts to promote the album, with Jeff Magnum's deep emotional connection to the music drawing in crowds and creating more fans.

The band went on hiatus after the success of "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and in 2005 UK label Domino Records re-released the album. In 2012 Magnum performed at the Coachella music festival, and in 2013 the band announced a full reunion tour.