Bent Knee was formed in 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Berklee College of Music when Ben Levin and Courtney Swain started writing music together. The name is a compound of the two founders' names, Ben + (Cour)tney.

The band later added new members to form the six-person line up that exists today with:

Courtney Swain – Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Ben Levin – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jessica Kion – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth – Drums
Chris Baum – Violin, Backing Vocals
Vince Welch – Synths, Rhythm Guitar, Sound Design, and Production