It includes several songs taken from the band's earlier cassette-only release Complex Party Come Along Theories.

[1] A Pretty Mess by This One Band was released in April 1996 by record label Will.

Its songs were reissued in 2002 on the album The Broken Down Comforter Collection.

[2] AllMusic writer Dean Carlson gave it a three-star review, describing it as "a decent litmus test for the group's own potential.

Definitely not as pretty as the title might suggest, but still one of the better – although flawed – messes from America's indie underground", comparing it to Pavement, Pixies and Yo La Tengo.