Hinder began crafting cocky, raucous post-grunge in the early 2000s, when Oklahoma City residents Joe Garvey and drummer Cody Hanson found Austin Winkler singing cover songs at a college party. The three formed the nucleus of Hinder, and the group started landing local gigs opening for such bands as Theory of a Deadman. Lineup changes brought guitarist Mark King and bassist Mike Rodden into the fold, and the quintet signed with Universal after issuing a self-released EP. Their 2005 full-length debut, Extreme Behavior, became one of the year's most popular albums, climbing to triple-platinum status and sending "Lips of an Angel" to number three on the singles charts. Hinder returned several years later with a second batch of party anthems entitled Take It to the Limit. All American Nightmare arrived in 2010, followed by Welcome to the Freakshow, the group's fourth studio album, in 2012.