[8] Additionally, the album introduces Scottish folk music, avant-garde, trumpet, and bagpipes into the formula, whilst simultaneously reintroducing older characteristics such as the first studio recording of the early White Stripes song "Little Cream Soda".

Jack White said that the album would appeal to fans of the band's self-titled debut, suggesting a stripped-down garage rock sound.

A statement on the band's official website[11] (spuriously attributed to "Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisof" of the Moscow Bugle, a reference to the 1966 Batman film) humorously claims that: The White Stripes have completed the recording and mixing of their sixth album.

Though some residents of northern England might almost recognize the title, the Stripes stress they are spelling it wrong intentionally just for "kicks" and "metaphors," and to avoid a possible lawsuit from the estate of Billy Eckstine.Entertainment Weekly's online site had an interview with Michel Gondry in which he said he would be directing a video for "I'm Slowly Turning Into You".

The title is derived from "ecky thump", a Lancashire colloquial response of surprise, popularized by an episode of the 1970s UK comedy series The Goodies.

The Pearly Kings and Queens costume theme, which the band used for this album, is a traditional Cockney outfit, somewhat contrary to the Northern dialect of the title.

Jack White told Blender in July 2007 that Icky Thump "is about feeling positive about being alive, taking deep breaths and just being really happy."

To promote Icky Thump before its release, the band distributed custom-designed boxes and previewed tracks from the record through Ice Cream Man.

The ice cream promotion focused on the Coachella,[18] Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo festivals and culminated in the band's release show on June 20, 2007, at the site of the former West Hollywood Tower Records on Sunset Blvd., temporarily rechristened Icky Thump.

[9] A special mono mix of Icky Thump was available on 180 gram vinyl for a short time to Third Man Vault Premium Account subscribers.

"[24] Jody Rosen, writing for Blender, called the album "the sound of a band not stretching out so much as digging in: burrowing deeper into loamy soil they know well.