[2] Eric Woods at the Abilene Reporter-News noted that the title was prophetic of how the band members' lives became abnormal as they went on tour.

Edwards wrote "Morgan Street" about a bar that the band formerly played in, while the military-themed songs "Blue Star" and "Southeastern Son" were penned by Felker as "character pieces" about people that he knew.

Felker also stated that he wanted the album to provide a "real band-playing" feel, rather than the auto-tuned and perfectly metronome-aligned music that he felt was common on country radio.

[2] One reviewer described "Gin, Smoke, Lies" as a "funky, bluegrass groove",[4] while another stated that "Quit While I'm Ahead" included Cajun themes.

[6] By September 2012, two singles from the album, "Gin, Smoke, Lies" and "Good Lord Lorrie" had reached the top 10 in Texas regional charts.