Origin Friends since middle school, Jess Gromada and Glynnis Brennan befriended Ali Ajemian once they entered high school. They all loved playing music together and started by playing acoustic cover songs in 2012, originally under the name Patella Talk; before deciding in 2016 to begin writing their own music under the name Self Titled, before ultimately choosing to begin releasing under the name shallow pools in 2018. Shortly after deciding on the name, they met songwriter and producer Chris Curran, who helped to shape the sound and direction of the new project. In July 2019, Haley Senft joined the band as a live bassist exclusively before becoming an official member later that year.
Spring - EP & Singles (2018–2020) The band expressed their desire to "promote inclusivity" and to "create a safe space for listeners to express themselves through their music." With their message, they released their debut single as shallow pools, "It's A You Thing.", in July 2018, followed by "Sinking" in August of that same year. On March 8, 2019, the band's debut EP
Spring, was released. The EP was met with praise, with Alt Corner commenting on Glynnis' "emotive vocals" and the songs "deliciously melodic choruses". The quartet went on to release four singles throughout 2020: "Haunted", "Bloom", "Afterlight" and "Turnaround".
headspace EP (2021) The band began 2021 by releasing new music through ESI Records, marking a new era for the band, and put out a single on January 15, 2021, titled "ice water" with a music video released the same day. This release is a notable contrast from their earlier work; the band noting that the coming releases are "a departure from the music we’ve made in the past, but it’s the perfect bridge between our old and new sound." On February 19, 2021, the second single was released, titled "glow", with another official music video. On March 26, 2021, the third single was released, titled "nothing new", with another official music video. On April 30, 2021, the fourth single was released, titled "it's alright", with another official music video. On June 4, 2021, headspace EP was released along with the fifth and final single, titled "gardens", with another official music video.
Signing to Equal Vision (2022) In November 2022 the band signed to
Equal Vision Records and released a new single, "Say What You Want". Shallow Pools played the 2025
Rat City Arts Festival alongside groups like
Tiberius, Beeef, and Daphne Blue Underworld. ==Personal lives==