[3][4][5] Speaking about how pop music has turned out since The Script went on a hiatus after their last album No Sound Without Silence, Danny O’Donoghue said "If you take a listen to radio now, there aren’t too many bands - guitar, bass, drums, vocals.

[3][6][7][8] Explaining how the album title was decided, O'Donoghue said "It came from Mark's side... His seven-year-old came up to him one day and asked, 'Dad, what's terrorism?'"

"[11][12] Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating that the album "is a vibrant, immediately engaging effort that finds them nicely balancing their various influences, from slick dance-pop to kinetic R&B and thoughtful, crowd-pleasing anthems."

"[18] The album has had several negative reviews, including from Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times, who stated that "it's too long, but more importantly, it's emotionally hollow.

"[14] Rick Pearson of London Evening Standard also gave the album a negative review, and said that "Truly, the road to musical hell is paved with good intentions.