It was recorded in Sweden with the producer Jari Haapalainen, and arranged by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John.

[1] The band did not want to self-produce another record, and Stephen McRobbie of The Pastels recommended Jari Haapalainen, guitarist for The Bear Quartet.

[6] The music was influenced by the Motown Sound, Lee Hazlewood's collaborations with Nancy Sinatra and David Lynch's soundtracks.

"[19] Spin wrote that the band "prove that there's such a thing as brawny twee…[The album] is indie pop but that's baroque but not self-indulgent.

"[17] The Guardian described Campbell's vocals as "gorgeously mellifluous one" but added that "sweetness gets monotonous, and the album could do with more jolts of bitter energy".

[12] PopMatters said that the band had become "comfortable with its craft" and that its stronger songwriting was reflected in the album's "leisurely melodic lines".

[16] Slant Magazine said that the album found "Camera Obscura stepping out from the considerable shadow cast by Stuart Murdoch and pals, brimming with a newfound confidence and a bolder, more ambitious sonic palette".

[16] Uncut wrote that while Belle and Sebastian were "seemingly lost to soft-pop pastichery, [Camera Obscura] have come out of their shadow and flourished.

"[15] The NME wrote, "Now that Belle and Sebastian have left their whimsical ways behind, it's up to their fellow Glaswegians Camera Obscura to take up the cause of indie-popsters everywhere, and it's something they appear to be bang up for.

[29] Following the album's June release, Camera Obscura promoted it with a North American tour in July, followed by a series of performances at European festivals in August and September.

[39] An alternative video was directed by Victoria Bergsman, singer for The Concretes, and includes artwork by Frànçois & the Atlas Mountains's frontman François Marry.