The Shins are an indie rock group with elements of folk and alternative country on Sub Pop Records comprising singer, songwriter and guitarist James Russell Mercer, keyboardist/guitarist/bassist Martin Crandall, bassist/guitarist Dave Hernandez, drummer Jesse Sandoval, and Eric Johnson of the Fruit Bats.

Their sound is commonly described as indie rock, drawing on several musical genres including pop, alternative and folk. The Shins are based in Portland, Oregon.

The Shins' first album was 2001's Oh, Inverted World, released to critical acclaim for its lyrically deft, jangly pop sound. Songs from this album featured prominently in the film Garden State, opening the music of The Shins up to a much wider audience. Dave Hernandez, former member of Scared of Chaka, joined the group following the departure of bassist Neal Langford.

In 2002, the band relocated to Portland, Oregon. Chutes Too Narrow followed in 2003 to much fanfare in indie music circles, featuring even more multi-layered lyrical inventions and a musical approach that explored new genres, song structures, and levels of production fidelity.

The band's third record, Wincing the Night Away, was released on January 23, 2007. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with 118,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest sales week and chart position an album solely released on Sub Pop has ever achieved.

The album was leaked to the Internet on Friday, October 20, 2006. It was available for pre-order with an extra track on iTunes.