Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was formed in late 2009 by members Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott. The band also includes drummer Mike Higgins. The band initially began as a basement recording project with few intentions of reaching the public.
2010–11: ''Horsepower'' (EP) and ''It's A Corporate World''
In July 2010, the band released HorsepowerEP via Quite Scientific Records. The Horsepower EP consisted of songs "Nothing But Our Love," "Vocal Chords," "Simple Girl," and a cover of Brian Wilson's song "God Only Knows." The band came out with a second EP titled "My Love Is Easy: Remixes Pt.1" via Quite Scientific Records on November 2, 2010. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. was noted as 'one of the best new bands' of 2010 and became very well-liked from various sources including Stereogum, SPIN, Under the Radar, Real Detroit, and The Metro Times. The band came out with We Almost Lost Detroit EP via Warner Bros. Records and Quite Scientific Records on April 21, 2011. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. released two singles, "Morning Thought" and "Simple Girl" on April 8, 2011 and September 9, 2011 respectively. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. came out with their first full-length album, It's A Corporate World.The album was released June 7, 2011 via Warner Bros. Records and Quite Scientific Records.
2013–15: ''Patterns'' (EP) and ''The Speed of Things''
The band came out with their single "If You Didn't See Me " on April 2, 2013. The single's release was followed by their EP release, Patterns. The band performed live on May 16, 2013 on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic to premier songs from their album. The featured songs included: "Hiding," "Run," "Mesopotamia," "If You Didn't See Me," "Dark Water," "Knock Louder," "War Zone," "Don't Tell Me," and "I Think Of You." They performed on Conan, June 11, 2013, featuring the song "If You Didn't See Me." Patterns EP was released on April 16, 2013, consisting of four songs: "If You Didn't See Me," "Dark Water," "Hiding," and "Habits." The band released their second studio album titled, The Speed of Things, on October 8, 2013, with some guidance from Paul Simon. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. went on tour with Atlas Genius and Family of the Year in the fall of 2013. The band released their mixtape "Produce Vol. 1" on February 5, 2014. Produce Vol. 1 is a new step for the band as they continue their journey towards the spotlight.
2015–present: Name change and ''JR JR''
On July 15, 2015, the band announced that they had renamed themselves to JR JR. They premiered their new single "Gone" from their self-titled album on July 16, 2015.
Origin of band name
The band's original name, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., was suggested to the pair as a joke. When asked by NASCAR.com's David Caraviello about the name, Zott stated, "The name for us was just a way to identify our crazy new project that had no limitations. People have no idea how we are going to sound, and so it gives them a reason to actually take some time to listen to the music." According to ESPN The Magazine, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The band emailed him to assure him they were not making fun of him and sent him a few samples of their music.
