[9] Odesza members Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight bonded with Thomas Stell over a mutual admiration of each other's music, sending demos to one another over Dropbox.

[3] After multiple studio sessions over FaceTime,[10] they eventually met up in order to record together, which led to the creation of the album.

In a statement regarding the album's themes, Bronson stated the record is about:"[Their] respective needs to challenge personal struggles, both internal and external.

The hope was to craft a body of work that was reflective of that duality of lightness and darkness inherent to the human condition.

[6] Ross Goldenberg of Dancing Astronaut stated: "With all tracks seamlessly transitioning into one another, Bronson maintains a balanced pool of lighter additions.

"[18] Bress also noted the album "brings together their distinct styles", describing the result as a "multitudinous and emotive musical collection that defies classification".

"[15] Ryan Middleton of Magnetic Magazine described the album as "tough and gritty" and praised its "intricate melodies".