[3] Tom Scott began work on Avantdale Bowling Club while living in Melbourne, where he had moved after the dissolution of his previous band At Peace.

[3][4] "Home" samples Chico Hamilton and has been characterised as "the slow-burning... centrepiece of the album", discussing Scott's experiences leaving and returning to New Zealand.

[4] The final track, "Tea Break", is an instrumental song inspired by Scott's aunt and her battle with early onset dementia.

Scott has characterised Avantdale Bowling Club as a "grown-up version" of his work with the band Home Brew, and described the album's subject matter as follows: It is about dealing with your own stuff for once.

Karl Puschmann of The New Zealand Herald described it as a "remarkable achievement",[8] and a 2019 profile of Scott stated that "many regard [Avantdale Bowling Club] as his best album yet".