Roommate started out as a solo recording project of Kent Lambert. He recorded the EP Celebs in his Brooklyn NY apartment and self-released it in late 2001. Celebs landed in web journal Uzine’s Top 20 releases of 2002 after being hailed as "one of the most promising debuts of recent years". The EP’s centerpiece, a tribute (of sorts) to River Phoenix called "RP (forget the metaphors)" was played regularly on Studio Brussel’s Duyster radio program in Belgium, and subsequently selected for the "Duyster.Classics" compilation alongside tracks by Low, Cat Power, Tortoise, Sparklehorse, and more.

In 2004 a live Roommate band was formed in Chicago, with members including bassist Anton Hatwich, xylophonist/vocalist Dewayne Slightweight, banjoist "Uncle" Woody Sullender, and musical saw player Evelyn Weston. Other members have included Amy Cimini (viola), Katherine Young (bassoon), Devin Davis (theremin/guitar), Tim Daisy of the Vandermark 5 (vibes/drums), and Jim Duffy of Love Story in Blood Red and the Devin Davis band (drums). The current Roommate band includes Luther Rochester, formerly of Low Skies (analog synths), Seth Vanek (drums) and Justin Petertil (guitar) of Crap Engine and Velvetron (drums), Mercedes Landazuri (banjo), Erica Dicker (violin), and Gillian Lisée, formerly of Fruit Bats and Califone (bass/vocals/percussion).
The "Celebs" EP was reissued on Chicago’s Fresh Produce Records in February 2006, and the first full-length Roommate album, Songs the animals taught us, was released in April 2006 on Plug Research. A digital release of the New Steam EP followed in February 2007, and a limited edition 10" of the EP was released in June. "We were enchanted", Roommate’s second full-length album, will be released April 15, 2008.

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