Yorn and King originally met through Linda Ramone, a mutual friend and widow of Johnny Ramone.[1] The two later toured together and then decided to perform a song together after Yorn listened to some of the songs that King had written[1] and the two bounced song ideas off one another.[4] In 2011, they created their first track together in 20 minutes, which later became the single "Twice As Nice", included on their debut album.[5]
The band's first album was released on June 4, 2013,[6] with the official single being "Wanna Feel It".[7] The self-titled album was recorded in King's studio[2] with both artists credited for playing almost all of the instruments on each track.[8] The album was an Editor's Pick on iTunes the week following its release[5] and the song "Someone Else's Girl" was a Top Tune by KCRW on June 28, 2013.[9] The album has been compared to "easygoing country rock and simple '60s pop" and Allmusic stated that the single "Someone Else's Girl" would have been a hit single in 1966.[10] The album also peaked at #4 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers.[3]
In 2013, Yorn revealed to Rolling Stone and Elle that a second album was already halfway completed.[1][4]
On September 15, 2013, The Olms performed along with Vampire Weekend at the iTunes Festival in London. An EP of the performance was released in conjunction with a documentary centering on their first tour on November 12, 2013.[11]
