[3] The album, released by Dischord Records,[6] consists of songs composed and performed in the context of Washington, D.C.'s 1985 Revolution Summer by one of its mainstay acts.

[2][3][8] According to music journalist Andrew Earles, Ian and Alec MacKaye's previous bands Minor Threat and The Faith were composed of "highly intelligent, creatively restless personalities--precisely the types artistically fleeing hardcore in droves".

Building off the aggression of Minor Threat, the album draws influence from New Order, The Cure, and "late-'70s/early-'80s" post-punk, which Earles says the band played "through the filter of tuneful post-hardcore.

[nb 1][13] Though not "as gripping or inventive" as that of Fugazi's, the music in the record, "as a vehicle for [Ian MacKaye's] righteous, cutting lyrics and strong voice", is "more than fine", according to reviewer Ned Raggett, who has described it as having production values that switched around from the "usual domination via guitar" with an emphasis on Ivor Hanson's drums, while comparing the work of guitarist Michael Hampton to John McGeoch's early work with post-punk bands Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

[4] Trouser Press, for its part, was of the view that: "If not equal to Minor Threat's one-of-a-kind sonic excellence, Embrace['s instrumentals] are strong and muscular, an effective backdrop for MacKaye ...