Clementine's second studio album I Tell a Fly was released in July 2017 to critical acclaim,[3] but its stylistic deviation was polarizing for listeners.

[6][3] In a press release Clementine said he was "confronted with a lot of lessons, complications and epiphanies to do with sharing his path with someone special" during the pandemic.

[6] Clementine has suggested that the project will mark the end of his music career,[8] and that he plans to pursue other artistic endeavours such as acting.

[3] Alex Diggins reviewing in The Daily Telegraph highlights the surprising spirit of domesticity in the album at times noting the song "Auxiliary" depicts Clementine accepting the complexities of fatherhood lightheartedly as he sings to his wife, Flo Morrissey, about the harsh truths of parenthood.

[17] Ludovic Hunter-Tilley of the Financial Times lamented that, despite the album's "arresting" opening lyrics on "Residue", the songs remain inferior to Clementine's previous work.

[19] Reviewing for Mojo, Tom Doyle felt that the album retained the singer's quirks while offering a more accessible sound.