Noah and the Whale's name is a mash-up of the critically acclaimed film The Squid and the Whale, starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney, and its director Noah Baumbach. The group is known to admire Baumbach's work along with The Squid and the Whale producer Wes Anderson. The band heavily mimics Anderson's film style in the video for their first single "5 Years Time."
Noah and the Whale formed in 2006 in the London suburb of Twickenham. Part of a tightly knit group of musicians in the London area, including acts like Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Emmy the Great, Noah and the Whale soon began building a rabid local fan base. Before long the British press dubs the movement "nu-folk" much to the chagrin of many of the musicians involved. Slightly more indie and a bit less folky than some of their "nu-folk" contemporaries, the band has drawn comparisons to acts like Neutral Milk Hotel and Belle & Sebastian.
On August 11, 2008 Noah and the Whale released their debut album, Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down. The first single "5 Years Time" was originally released in 2007 but received little attention. Upon its re-release in 2008 it jumped onto the charts, eventually becoming the band's first Top-10 hit in the UK, peaking at #7. The song was later featured in a TV commercial for the popular snack food Sun Chips.
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