[1] During a brief stint as touring guitarist for The Wildhearts, Townsend received a phone call from an A&R representative for Roadrunner Records, expressing an interest in his demos and an intention to sign him.

[2] He faced further rejection by Relativity Records, the label behind Vai's Sex & Religion, who saw no commercial appeal in his music.

Century Media Records subsequently contacted the musician, offering him a contract to "make us some extreme albums".

Embracing The Wildhearts' anarchist approach, "while focusing on dissonance and just being as over-the-top as [he] could",[4] Townsend sang on the record and performed the majority of its instrumental tracks (with the assistance of a drum machine).

A few songs, however, featured local session musicians, including guitarist Jed Simon, Townsend's future bandmate.