Domestica is a concept album that tells the story of a relationship between two characters named "Sweetie" and "Pretty Baby."

Both characters are mentioned by name in several of the songs on the album ("The Casualty," "The Martyr," "A Red So Deep," and "The Radiator Hums") as well as the title of "The Lament of Pretty Baby."

Lead singer and principal songwriter Tim Kasher went through a divorce prior to writing the songs.

Though Kasher maintains that the characters' relationship differs in many key ways from his marriage, he has also stated that some of the story's events were based in reality.

[7] In 2014, Stereogum named "The Martyr" in their list of "30 Emo Songs: Late 90s & Early 2000s Essentials.