In order "to draw out and emphasize the emotional aspect of a synthesizer", Flying Wig explores a more "synth"-oriented sound.

Inspiration was drawn from a poem by Kobayashi Issa, which Banhart thought highlights a person's "ability to face despair with hope, to keep on failing and loving".

[4] During most of the writing and recording sessions, Banhart wore a dress gifted by Le Bon and pearls from his grandmother.

Banhart and Le Bon mostly worked with a tight circle of trusted collaborators for the album, with mixing and engineering handled by Samur Khouja and mastering by Heba Kadry.

[10] Uncut stated that "the antic hippie of Banhart's early work is long gone on this depressed but not despairing record, warmed by the melancholy, spacy hush of his voice over drifting synths and the bass's heartbeat pulse",[16] while Mojo called it "intimate, ambitious and just occasionally misfiring".