The album features a guest appearance by rapper Gucci Mane and collaborations with several notable producers such as Ammo, who contributed to their 2016 smash hit "Work from Home", along with Poo Bear and Skrillex.

The lead single "Down", which features rapper Gucci Mane, was released on June 2, 2017, and received gold certification in the United States.

The group also released a music video for "Don't Say You Love Me" on May 18, 2018, as a goodbye note after their hiatus; it also explains a mysterious, untitled photograph Fifth Harmony uploaded on the social media platforms Twitter and Instagram.

During an interview with radio host Elvis Duran after an iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert, the group announced they were working on a new album.

Following the repercussion of Cabello's departure and speculations about the group's future, the members published another statement saying, "We have spent the past year and a half (since her initial solo endeavor) trying to communicate to her and her team all of the reasons why we felt Fifth Harmony deserved at least one more album of her time.

[13] On April 12, 2017, the quartet appeared on the cover of Galore magazine, in which they discussed the concept and sonority present on their third album: "We've been creating sounds that we've been wanting to touch base on.

During the creative process, the members had more involvement than with their previous albums, co-writing most of the songs, choosing which ones to produce and sharing ideas during the production.

[18] The group collaborated with several record producers and songwriters, including The Stereotypes, Skrillex, The Monsters and the Strangerz, Ammo DallasK, and Tommy Brown.

Fifth Harmony consists mostly of R&B and pop songs that include elements of tropical house and hip hop music on its beats and productions.

[26] The lyrical content has been described as "genuine" and "authentic" in comparison with their previous works, in which the group felt a lack of creative fulfillment.

"[32] Time editor Raisa Bruner called it a "party anthem" that gives "each singer a chance to stretch her voice over a spare and addictive beat".

[34] "Sauced Up" merges trap and synthpop elements before moving into a pop chorus that Chris DeVille from Stereogum website described as "bright" and "gargantuan".

[36] A tropical-tinged song, "Make You Mad" fuses electronic music with a Caribbean flavor,[31][37] using a predominant synthesized marimba sound, steelpan drums and a synth-line.

[37] The retro-styled fifth track "Deliver" is a throwback to 1990s R&B;[1][26] its production incorporates influences of soul and gospel genres and modern, trap-inflected beats.

[31][38] The sonority of the track bears a resemblance to Mariah Carey's musical style, and uses a backing piano riff and soft vocal harmonies.

[34] Lyrically, "Deliver" conveys a sexual vibe with Fifth Harmony singing about express feelings to a man confessing he knows and appreciates their devotion to him.

[failed verification][31] Thematically, it is one of the songs in the album that shows the group's typical empowerment themes in favor of a comfort with a partner.

[failed verification][39] Described as a "rocker-reggae" song,[39] "Lonely Night" uses progressive guitar chords; it is constructed on a transitive musical dynamic with a beat that drops during the chorus, similar to that of "Make You Mad".

'"[39] "Don't Say You Love Me" and "Messy" are mid-tempo ballads that explores a vulnerable side of the group; the former is a melancholic torch song that asks for an honest relationship over an "island" dembow rhythm and a melodic acoustic guitar.

[26][31] According to Ally Brooke, "Messy" expresses the group "just us as people, as humans, as women"; she commented, "We have a lot in ourselves, and it's a beautiful part of us and who we are, and the music fits perfectly with it.

[34][39] Its "sparse" trap production features pitched-shifted vocal synths,[24] distorted effects, heavy bass and double hi-hat rolls.

In an interview with Jason Lipshutz of Billboard, Dinah Jane stated that the group wanted to create a song about contemporary social issues, saying, "It's definitely a message that needs to be shared out there into the world.

[48] Coinciding with the album release date, the group appeared at a live event promoted by the Vevo team that was held in Hollywood's NeueHouse.

[50] For online marketing, Fifth Harmony's Twitter account announced three challenges that fans could complete to unlock hidden videos by accumulating enough save and stream data for the album on Spotify.

The tour began on September 29, 2017, in Santiago, Chile, at the Movistar Arena[58] and ended on May 11, 2018, at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.

Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top fifties of charts in other countries, including the UK, Ireland, Canada, France, Portugal and Slovakia.

[65] Fifth Harmony performed "Por Favor" on U.S. television several times, including on Dancing with the Stars, Showtime at the Apollo and at the 2017 Latin American Music Awards.

[68] On May 18, 2018, Fifth Harmony released the music video for "Don't Say You Love Me", having previously performed the song on Total Request Live alongside "He Like That".

[35] AllMusic's Matt Collar described the album as "sophisticated" and said its "undistinguished production" finds the group completing the transformation "from a youthful pop outfit into a mature, adult contemporary R&B entity".

[33] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica praised the Fifth Harmony, commenting that it is "potent and overflowing with sugary pleasures" and full of "military-grade pop production and laser-targeted singing".