Alternative rockers Gosling are actually the reincarnation of Loudermilk, a hard rock act that released one album on Dreamworks together, 2002's The Red Record. All members from Loudermilk — singer/guitarist Davey Ingersoll, guitarist Mark Watrous, bassist Shane Middleton, and drummer Isaac Carpenter — carried over into the newly christened Gosling, though Watrous now also played keyboards. The quartet grew up in the Tri‑Cities area of southeastern Washington, initially brought together by Ingersoll and Carpenter's mutual love of bands like Sunny Day Real Estate and the Smashing Pumpkins, though Gosling further tapped into influences like Pink Floyd and Queen. They debuted as Gosling with a self‑titled, self‑produced EP through The Control Group in August 2004 and followed up two years later with the full‑length Here Is... on V2. Subsequent nationwide dates with Rose Hill Drive were played surrounding the latter album's release.