The album is notable for bringing the band their first mainstream success outside of their native countries of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

It is their first album to feature lead guitarist Nathan Connolly and their last with bassist Mark McClelland.

"[3] Chancellor, Lee and the band chose fifteen songs to start working on out of an original pool of 24.

[3] Producer Lee offered constructive suggestions about how to both simplify their songs and augment them with other sounds such as strings, and Snow Patrol proved very receptive to his advice.

Lightbody has said that his "finally learn[ing] to write a chorus" was the key to the album's success.

The band's sound on the album was described as being a "cross between the sullen folk of Nick Drake and the more punchy rock moments of Simple Minds and the Pixies.

[7] Reviewing the album, Pitchfork described the performances as being based around "rigid, unwavering tempos that approximate dance music," created through looped sections of playing augmented with electronics.