[8] The band released three singles from Charm Offensive: "Curious Thing" on September 8, 2017 (though its music video premiered beforehand on August 25, 2017),[9][10] "The Lord Fox" on January 13, 2018,[4] and "Roof Access" on February 16, 2018.

[3] A fourth music video was also produced for the non-album Killing Joke cover "Primitive", which appeared on the b-side of "Curious Thing" and with the European edition of the album.

Having relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan in September 2006,[24] Moyal began writing and demoing new songs for Damien Done's planned debut full-length album without any help from other musicians, nor backing from a record label.

"[24] Moyal described the new songs as more structured than those from the Stay Black era,[24] defining the album as a series of vignettes themed around voyeurism, secrecy, guilt and compulsion;[1][3] a cold, uncomfortable landscape with a cinematic and noir approach.

[27] The song's demo (initially given the longer title "When You Left Your Home", but also known as "Palomita Asustada") was first included on an expanded version of Stay Black, made available for free download on Moyal's personal website in late 2010,[28] and later on Damien Done's Bandcamp page on August 20, 2011.

[30] The album opener "The Freeze" was another early composition, recorded in November 2016, and first included on a limited edition USB split release with Nathaniel Shannon & The Vanishing Twin, to coincide with Damien Done's first concert at Detroit, Michigan's UFO Factory on December 21, 2016 [31] The song was further developed and re-mixed before appearing on Charm Offensive.

[30] He noted the story within the lyrics as an invitation to enter into a relationship with someone who is toxic; the context of which also serves as a false expectation for what is to come on the album, by offering a song different from the others.

[30] "Things Are Going Great (Just You Wait)" was another song described by Moyal as piano-driven, and its lyrics warn that one should always live in constant fear of losing everything and a reminder that happiness and stability are delicate.

[3][30] Moyal programmed a minimalist ticking beat to the song to give the impression that time was running out for the victim, yet deliberately left the story unresolved.

[30][3] The lyrics' plot involves a woman who becomes obsessed with man living in her apartment building, and who finds a way to sneak into his bedroom each night to watch him sleep and go through his personal belongings.

[10] In August 2017, the record company announced that it would release a limited edition 7-inch single for the song "Curious Thing" on September 8, 2017, as a precursor to the album.

[34][9][35] A music video for "Curious Thing" was produced by Ann Arbor, Michigan-based film production company Three Goats Moving Pictures, which premiered on August 25, 2017, at the same time as pre-orders opened for the 7-inch vinyl single.

[11][12][37] Charm Offensive's next single was "The Lord Fox", which was accompanied by an animated music video produced by Matthew Craft at Mammoth Colony.

[5] Three Goats Moving Pictures was again commissioned to produce a music video for "Roof Access", intended as a tie-in with the previously released "Curious Thing".

[3] The video for "Roof Access" premiered on February 16, 2018, which was originally planned as Charm Offensive's release date, but that album was eventually delayed.

[3][4] Charm Offensive was originally scheduled for release on February 16, 2018, by Mind Over Matter Records and with distribution in the United States through Deathwish Direct.

[39] The album cover's photograph was taken by Nathaniel Shannon, and depicts a man wearing a ski mask, holding a bouquet of flowers, and sitting in a subway train between two women.

[2][40] Moyal explained the meaning behind the image as:In a lot of my songs, the protagonist (or antagonist... the line is often blurred) is living a double life, and often has innocent motives or intentions that are corrupted by something darker.

[39] The test pressing was offered on black vinyl but with a different cover art, designed by Moyal, showing a hand creeping open blinds.

[2][12] Hypertension Records also released a special tour-only edition of the album, which housed the 12-inch vinyl sleeve in a black satin bag, silkscreened by Lionel Arlen at Le 7e Oeil.

[3] The band kicked off its nine-date European and British tour, which spanned August 10–18, 2018, with a performance at Ieperfest in Ypres, Belgium,[42] followed by shows in Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and England.

[2][12][43] The band spent the remainder of 2018 playing shows around Michigan, in Ann Arbor (at The Blind Pig), Detroit, Ypsilanti and Hamtramck, opening for such artists as Helen Money and Street Sects and performing at the No Rest Festival, held at Trumbullplex.

[44][45] Further shows in promotion of the album were played in Michigan throughout 2019 and early 2020, in addition to Iron Festival in Newport, Kentucky, but things came to a halt with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[46] Damien Done was compared to such acts as Billy Idol,[8][9][49] Nick Cave,[1][46] King Dude,[9][1] Danzig,[8] Iggy Pop,[8] Tears for Fears,[49] Echo & the Bennymen,[49] Type O Negative,[9] Interpol,[2] and Grave Pleasures.