The album was released by 4AD on October 14, 2016, and promoted with two singles, a tour across North America and Europe, and an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Many critics drew comparisons to a number of different rock bands, and thought that the album's sound is a blend of the brother's favorite music in a contemporary ear.

It received generally favorable reviews from critics; some enjoyed the band's songwriting and ability to twist their influences into their own sound, though others felt the album was overly reliant on nostalgia.

[2] Brian performed roles in television shows such as Law & Order and CSI: NY, while Michael acted in films such as Sinister and People Like Us (both 2012).

[18] David Edwards from Under the Radar believed the band was inspired by musicians like Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Scott Walker, Jeff Lynne, and Ray Davies, creating a "world of color, exploration, and barnstorming joy".

[20] Barry Divola of The Sydney Morning Herald thought the band created "their own woozy, cracked, trippy universe in constantly evolving songs that are never content to take the shortest distance between two points".

[15] Rachel Redfern, for Loud and Quiet, proposed the band's influences may be Queen, John Lennon, McCartney, Big Star, and the Bay City Rollers, and said the album "plays like a bonkers show-reel of a fandom match by ability".

[22] For Mojo, James McNair wrote the album "taps doo wop, Big Star guitars, Supertramp keys and harpsichord".

[19] Divola thought its opening bit sounds like a mix between the Monkees and show tune music, before enveloping in a progressive rock middle-section with harmonies reminiscent of Queen.

[16] Lindsay thought that it feels like a "circus freak show" alongside its following track, "Haroomata", due to its psychedelic and progressive passages unfolding in less than three minutes.

[15] Dork's Rob Mesure said it mixes "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople (1972) and baroque synthesizers into "cracked, swirling psychedelia".

[24] Sendra thought that the song has "soul-baring lyrics, glass-cracking falsettos, uplifting choruses, rinky-dink synths, left-field tempo changes, unexpected instruments, and simply strummed acoustic guitars".

[9] A near-seven-minute closer, "A Great Snake" starts with a "Love-like gently psychedelic beginning"; it also contains "squiggly" synthesizers, multiple guitar solos, an "epic" space rock middle section as well as a bossa nova and lounge music outro.

[8][36] A music video for "As Long as We're Together" was released on October 13;[37] it was shot in California[37] and directed by Brian's then-girlfriend Arrow de Wilde.

[38] "I Wanna Prove to You" received a music video on February 13, 2017, and was shot at the director Nick Roney's grandparents' house in Utah.

[54] The Line of Best Fit's Chris Taylor applauded the record for having "surprises around every corner that constantly thrill and excite", and thought the album is "like nothing you've ever really heard before".

[20] Cam Lindsay, writing for Exclaim!, believed that even though Rado contributed significantly to the record's sound, the "credit really belongs to the D'Addario brothers", calling them a "unique songwriting team".

[2] In a retrospective review for Mojo, James McNair said the album "fizzes with fresh-faced brio" and called it a "lucky bag of shamelessly theatrical pop".

[25] Edwards praised it for being a "unique and kaleidoscopic trip through sound and melody with a profound nostalgia", and lauded the band for creating "one of the most striking, individual, and colorful debuts of the year".

[14] Cranford thought the album is "stylistically complex", further approving of its "unique blend of styles" and for making their captivating ability to mix an array of genres.

[20] James Oldham from Q said the "weird, consciously retro amalgam of Van Dyke Parks, Big Star and Queen actually works".

[55] The Sydney Morning Herald's Barry Divola thought the record is "totally nuts, in the best possible way", lauding its spin on the band's influences.

[15] Some reviewers got a mixed or a negative impression, feeling that the album comes across excessively ostentatious, messy, insubstantial, and overly reliant on nostalgia.

In a review for MusicOMH, Chris White thought that although the album "is a work of deeply impressive songcraft, musicianship and arranging", it could sound "a little forced and over-egged".

[28] Jake Kennedy, for Record Collector, believed that "the most exciting thing about [the band] – their knack with a tune and fanfare – is buried beneath what could be considered unnecessary flourishes".