Nine Lashes is an American Christian rock band from Birmingham, Alabama formed in 2006. They independently released their first album, Escape, in 2009 before Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch brought them to the attention of Tooth & Nail Records. Upon signing to the label, the band recorded their second album World We View and released it on February 14, 2012. The album sold well, making several Billboard charts. The band released their third album, From Water to War on January 21, 2014. After a change in direction, the band released their fourth album, the electronica and Christian rock styled Ascend on March 11, 2016.

Trevor McNevan is a Canadian singer and rapper who is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Thousand Foot Krutch, lead singer and songwriter of pop punk side project FM Static along with Steve Augustine, and rapper and songwriter of hip hop side-project I Am the Storm. His first band, Oddball, included Dave Smith (guitar) and Tim Baxter (bass), as well as drummer Neil Sanderson. Oddball released the 27-song record Shutterbug, in 1995, featuring half hip-hop and half rock songs.