O.A.R.'s Wind-up Records debut album, King, marks a new beginning for the band, while also paying homage to their past. It is the seventh studio effort in a career that began with their high school recording, The Wanderer. Bringing back the title character from their first album, O.A.R. takes the listener on a journey to discover that what the Wanderer, and the band members themselves, had been searching for all along, was there from the beginning.

To begin work on King, the band embarked on a journey to each band member's hometown. The first stop was at The Metro in Chicago, home to drummer Chris Culos. 'The music was coming together very naturally, helped by the vibe of being in a real venue versus a stale rehearsal room. It was a perfect way for the recording process to originate from a 'live' place,' says Chris. From there the band moved on to Columbus, OH's (Jerry DePizzo) brand-new 1305 complex; Washington, DC's (Richard On) legendary punk studio Inner Ear; and New York's (Benj Gershman and Marc Roberge) historic Avatar Studios. Like The Wanderer completing his odyssey back to where he started, the band members returned home for inspiration and to prepare for their next adventure.