Two gifted singers, guitarists, and songwriters teamed up to create Striking Matches, a Nashville-based duo whose music is a fresh combination of country, blues, rock, and pop, with an approach that respects roots music traditions while making room for new musical thinking. The group offered up a lean but lively sound that often focused on acoustic instruments for their first album, 2015's Nothing But the Silence, but on subsequent releases, such as 2017's Shameless and 2018's Retrograde, they took on a more contemporary approach, embracing pop and R&B production tropes and adding electronic flourishes.

Striking Matches were formed in 2007 by Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann; Davis was born and raised near Atlanta, Georgia, by parents whose tastes leaned toward classic rhythm & blues, particularly Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Otis Redding. Zimmermann, meanwhile, grew up just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where her father repaired musical instruments and encouraged his daughter in her musical interests as she began studying clarinet and violin in grade school. Zimmermann picked up the guitar when she was in the fourth grade, and was powerfully influenced by the Dixie Chicks, whose success and musical skills convinced her women could succeed in the male-dominated music business.