The Liverpool-based group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark started collectively creating their brand of synth pop in the late 1970s. OMD was the brainchild of members Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey, who had played together in another band in high school. After their first single, "Electricity," landed them a deal with Dindisc, the duo recorded their self-titled debut album with members Malcolm Holmes and Dave Hughes, former band mates of Humphreys and McCluskey. The record dropped in 1980 and established the group as a legitimate full-length threat.

Organisation followed that same year, solidifying the group's staying power and musical prowess. The group's innovative sound also made for chart-friendly success, most notably on the track "Enola Gay." After replacing Hughes with Martin Cooper, OMD returned the following year with Architecture & Morality. The album enabled the group to reach what many consider their pinnacle in balancing an original, fresh take with mainstream appeal.

1985's Crush came following further lineup alterations and found more success stateside than it did in the band's native land. The more pop-oriented feel of the release hit home with American listeners and the track "If You Leave" was featured in the John Hughes film, Pretty in Pink, considered by many to be an ‘80s classic movie.

More lineup changes came and in 1986 OMD released The Pacific Age, which only found success in the U.S. It was the poppy style the group implemented on songs like "If You Leave" that the band pursued on this record. Humphreys eventually left the group in pursuit of other projects and 1991's Sugar Tax signaled the end as McCluskey recorded the album basically on his own due to a rift between him and the rest of the group. The Liberator was released in 1993 to little to no fanfare. Universal followed three years later.