The band consists of Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen. Years & Years' music has been described as electropop, featuring a mix of different musical influences. The band's debut studio album, Communion, debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2015 and was the fastest-selling debut album of the year from a signed British band. Years & Years' first single, I Wish I Knew, was released in July 2012 on the Good Bait label, with the band performing as a five-piece group. In 2013, the group signed a deal with the French label Kitsuné as a three-piece and released their second single Traps.
Their third single Real was released by the label in 2014. That same year, the group signed a deal with Polydor Records and released their fourth single Take Shelter. The song reached number one on the iTunes UK Singles Electronic Chart. Their fifth single Desire afforded them further success, peaking at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. Another single, King was released in 2015 and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.
Internationally, the single peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland. Years & Years soon announced their debut studio album Communion on their Instagram profile. Upon its release, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. It famously became the fastest-selling debut album from a signed British band that year.
Their following single Meteorite was featured on the soundtrack for the film Bridget Jones's Baby. A new album was soon in the works, and its first single Sanctify reached #1 Trending on YouTube within the first 24 hours of its launch. The second single of the album, called If You're Over Me, was released in May. The album’s title track Palo Santo was released in June. The following month saw the release date of the full album, which helped to cement the group’s reputation as one of the most exciting British bands on the music scene today.
