It was written primarily in 2004 after the release of The Get Up Kids album Guilt Show while that band was on its world tour.

[2] Several songs, chiefly "Wears so Thin" and "Watch the World Cave In" were written about the tensions in the band at the time that led to the group's eventual breakup.

After The Get Up Kids went on hiatus after their 2004 world tour, Pryor turned his focus to The New Amsterdams, who started recording the first version of Killed or Cured.

They initially recorded a more stripped-down acoustic version of the album, with many songs featuring only Pryor on vocals and guitar.

The new version of the album is substantially different from the original, with each song featuring the full band and, in some cases, strings and brass.