Fleshwater started in 2017 as somewhere for Anthony DiDio and his Vein.fm bandmates to put the softer, dreamier ideas that didn't fit their main band, with Marisa Shirar, his partner, who also records as MIRSY, sharing vocals and guitar. Their 2022 debut We're Not Here to Be Loved turned into a cult favorite, and in 2025 they opened Deftones' North American arena tour. The second album, 2000: In Search of the Endless Sky, arrived on September 5, 2025, recorded again with Converge's Kurt Ballou and with Pianos Become the Teeth's David Haik drumming after their original drummer stepped away. People keep filing them under nu-gaze, and the band have said they don't think about it.