The album was created as a duo of guitarist Taylor Mulitz and drummer Emma Baker following the departure of the band's bassist, and was written in 2020 during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

[4] Early demos for the album were assembled using drum machines and GarageBand samples, with Baker playing a larger role in songwriting, vocal performance, and instrumentation compared to earlier releases.

[3][4] The lead single, "Sideways", announced in March 2022, featured a video directed by Camille Smura, with Mulitz describing the song as a metaphor about "driving as a means of escape [and] reflection".

[8] Hayden Merrick of Under the Radar highlighted the album's "unique personal voice" and core lyrical theme of the "real-life complexity and difficulty of a long-term partnership", stating that the band "masterfully obscures pop songs beneath pointed post-punk".

[10] Mark Deming of AllMusic noted that the album lacked the "fine grit" and "scrappy punk energy" of its predecessor, but commended the band for being "more willing to push against their systlistic boundaries" and demonstrated "musical maturity".