By 2012[update], Firewater had released seven studio albums and seen some success, particularly in Europe and on United States college radio stations.

Throughout their fluctuating line-up, the band has occasionally featured numerous notable musicians, including Duane Denison of the Jesus Lizard, Yuval Gabay of Soul Coughing, David Ouimet of Motherhead Bug and Foetus, Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, Hahn Rowe, Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan of Gogol Bordello and Balkan Beat Box.

It includes songs written by Robyn Hitchcock, The Rolling Stones ("Paint It Black" reinterpreted as a crawlingly slow raga which "shove(s) a few downers down the song's throat to counter the original version's adrenaline-fueled fire"[2]), and a "dark and sweet" take of Sonny and Cher's "The Beat Goes On", described as "10 times more ominous and 20 times more pleasurable" than the original.

After recording Songs We Should Have Written, singer Tod A took a three-year sabbatical, traveling through Thailand, India, Pakistan, Turkey and Indonesia and chronicling his experiences on his blog "Postcards from the Other Side of the World."

During this time, he wrote and recorded the band's sixth studio album, The Golden Hour, with the help of various local musicians and friends, including Firewater producer Tamir Muskat.