However, after earning enough income from a television role, she was able to move into her own home and dedicate more time to writing songs for the project, inspired by introspective songwriters such as PJ Harvey and Elliott Smith.

[2][4] The album had a number of notable collaborators, including New Zealand musicians Greg Johnson, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and Jon Toogood and Tom Larkin from Shihad, among others.

In a mostly positive review, Russell Baillie, writing for The New Zealand Herald, called it a "sexy pop album."

He complimented McDonald's voice and was favourable of the variety of musical styles featured in the album but noted flaws with its cohesiveness and the song "Wish I Was A Man," which he described as "lyrically clumsy."

He referenced aspects such as the track "Breathe," which he found "odd" and akin to "a cut that didn't make the first Madonna album."