Deerhoof乐队应该是噪音实验室里最听话的学生，这支创办于1994年的实验团是美国西海岸新派噪音音乐的代表。乐队最初只是一个临时的2人组合，两个年轻人创建乐队完全是因为他们都是Big Black乐队的歌迷，在1995年Deerhoof的首张EP《The Return of the Wood M'Lady》中，你可以听到很多源于"大黑"的经典套路。后来吉他手离开了乐队，而担任键盘和鼓手的Greg Saunier则找来了新的成员组成了完整的Deerhoof，从而丰富了音乐上更多的可能性。
By turns cuddly and chaotic, San Francisco's Deerhoof mixes noise, sugary melodies, and an experimental spirit into sweetly challenging and utterly distinctive music. The group began as the brainchild of guitarist Rob Fisk and drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier in 1994; early releases, such as 1995's 7"s Return of the Woods M'Lady and For Those of Us on Foot, had a more traditionally harsh, no wave-inspired sound, though they also included the quirky tendencies that dominated their later efforts. Vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki joined the group in time for 1996's self-titled double 7" on Menlo Park, but other members passed through Deerhoof, including Chris Cooper of Angst Hase Pfeffer Nase. The following year they released their full-length debut, The Man, the King, the Girl, on Kill Rock Stars and the Come See the Duck 7" on Banano a year later.
Fisk left Deerhoof after 1999's Holdy Paws, an experiment that saw the band trying to write songs that favored composition over individual sounds, and pursued similar ideas in his solo work and in Badgerlore. Halfbird, which was recorded before Fisk departed, was released in 2001, after John Dieterich was recruited as Deerhoof's new guitarist. That year the group also released the My Pal Foot Foot 7", a cover of the legendary Shaggs song that also appeared on the Better Than the Beatles tribute. In 2002, the group released the critically acclaimed Reveille; 2003's Apple O' followed soon after, and also featured auxiliary guitarist Chris Cohen. Their fifth album, the much more cohesive and focused Milk Man, appeared in spring 2004. The following year was another busy one for the band: not only did they embark on tours of the U.S., Europe, and Japan, but they released the Green Cosmos EP, the full-length Runners Four, and a Deerhoof tribute album that was only available on the band's website. In 2006, the group toured with the Flaming Lips, the Fiery Furnaces, and Mary Timony, among others. That spring, Cohen left Deerhoof to concentrate on the Curtains. Along with recording their own album, the band also collaborated with composer Ed Shearmur on the music for Dedication, a film directed by Justin Theroux. The concise yet eclectic Friend Opportunity arrived in early 2007.