Chairlift formed in Boulder, Colorado in early 2006 to make live music for haunted houses. Frequenting the Broker Inn on the edge of town for empty late-night jazz shows, Caroline Polachek, Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly were mystified by the 1980's faux-gothic architecture, oak-cabinet aquariums, vacant dancefloors, fake trees, crystal chandeliers and dark velveteen booths. The inn provided them with the ideal setting for a new breed of pop: a place where subtle clashes blossomed into uncanny pleasures.

Relocating to Brooklyn in the summer of 2006, the trio continued on to develop a hypnotic yet tongue-in-cheek style, playing shows around Brooklyn and the Lower East Side with a thriving society of experimental pop magicians including MGMT, Yeasayer, Suckers, and Mixel Pixel.