The members of Irreversible Entanglements met through music and activism: bassist Luke Stewart shared bills with Camae Ayewa's band the Mighty Paradocs; saxophonist Keir Neuringer worked with Books Through Bars, whose events Ayewa has emceed; and the trio of Ayewa, Stewart, and Neuringer was followed by the duo of Aquiles Navarro and Tcheser Holmes at a 2015 Musicians Against Brutality event following the shooting of Akai Gurley.
Their 2017 debut, Irreversible Entanglements, was included in best-of-year lists in The Wire, The Quietus, NPR Music, and in Stereogum's Best Jazz of the Decade for the 2010s. Their second album, Who Sent You?, was celebrated as among 2020's best in The Wire, Magnet, Stereogum,]AllMusic,and NPR Music's 2020 Jazz Critics Poll. Their third studio album, 2021's Open the Gates, was recognized for its expansion of the group's sound, with their range and innovation drawing comparisons to the New York Art Quartet, Sun Ra, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The album was included among the year's best in NPR Music and Treble.