The lead track from the album, "Tourniquet", was featured on The Current, WXPN, NPR's Here & Now, and Time magazine, where Messersmith was named one of 14 artists to look out for in 2014.

[8] In 2014, Messersmith appeared on the radio variety show Wits alongside comedian Maria Bamford and host John Moe at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

In a press release, he elaborated on the song's narrative, calling it "two people on opposite sides of a cultural divide, who are experiencing the loneliness and disconnection of modern society in the form of the worst first date of all time.

So I went full Bacharach to lift the lyrics above the dread, and coated the song with a generous layer of 1960s orchestral schmaltz, which I find irresistibly euphoric.

A celebration of sonic minimalism and introspective non-fiction songwriting, delicately produced by John Mark Nelson, the songs and accompanying ambient videos provide a compelling emotional landscape worth a visit.

"[13] The single was released ahead of All Hallow's Eve, Messersmith's inaugural celebration of life, love, and death at the Fitzgerald Theater.