[9] He moved into the city and secured work at a restaurant, where he joined the local outfit Dolour[10] and befriended other accomplished musicians.

[8] The album was produced by veteran engineer Phil Ek, best-known for his work with other Pacific Northwest luminaries, such as Built to Spill.

[14] For the album, the group aimed to rework their existing sound into something more simple, emphasizing harmonies and unconventional song structures.

Pecknold noted that nothing could match the idea of the album he envisioned; he continued updating its song sequence and writing new pieces up until it was set to be mixed.

Band members would record their parts between shifts at their jobs,[10] and they placed their guitar amplifiers in Native American tipis for aesthetics.

[15] Rolling Stone columnist Austin Scaggs described the album's music as dense, singling out its usage of progressive countermelodies.

[12] The album's pastoral music is primarily acoustic in nature, an its lyrics autobiographical[9] and philosophic[16]—much of the topics related to Pecknold's friends and family.

[12] To write the album, Pecknold traveled to a rural log cabin built by his grandfather in the small community of Plain, Washington.

[10] Pecknold, who croons in a doleful tone throughout the work,[16] had an aim to emphasize the vocal arrangements in the way that strings enrich classical music.

[9] Pecknold was particularly inspired by sixties icons Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson,[9] with more contemporary influence drawn from Joanna Newsom and Elliott Smith.

[8] In addition, Pecknold listed other mid-20th century acts like the Zombies, Steeleye Span, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as influences.

[8] The album's cover is a painting of a peasant landscape, illustrated by sixteenth-century artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

When you open it up on the inside there's a paisley pattern traced from the back of a book that Skye (Skjelset, lead guitar)'s mum got me.

Pecknold was apprehensive about the move, perceiving that the recording quality of Fleet Foxes would be unrepresentative of the label's style.

[12] Preceding the release of the album, Fleet Foxes also issued Sun Giant, an extended play later bundled with the vinyl edition of the LP.

[20] In response to growing hype, Sub Pop adjusted its promotional plans to what they might suggest for the label's top artists.

[13] The album's rollout was a family affair: Pecknold's brother, Sean, directed a music video, while his mother initially handled accounting.

[28] Similar praise was put upon the album by AllMusic, which stated that "Fleet Foxes is such a satisfying, self-assured debut".

[12] The band's performance was received breathlessly, prompting high-profile press pieces in major publications, like Rolling Stone.

They also promoted the LP with appearances at the late-night programs Saturday Night Live and the Late Show with David Letterman.

[12] For Pecknold, the success of the tour helped to cover existing credit card debt he ensued in the making of the album.

[12] The band were part of a wave of softer, more broody indie rock, including Bon Iver and the Cave Singers.