Guitarist Johannes Persson sent Christmas a demo track the band was working on at the time and asked her to write lyrics and record vocals.

Working with producer Andrew Schneider at his own studio in Coney Island in New York City, she wrote lyrics, recorded vocals and sent them back to Cult of Luna in Sweden.

[4] After telling Christmas the thematic and musical direction Cult of Luna was aiming for with Mariner, the band gave her full creative control to write and perform how she best saw fit.

"[3] Since the album was created largely through online file sharing, Christmas didn't even meet any of the members of Cult of Luna in person until September 2015 when Mariner was roughly halfway completed and the band was doing a small U.S.

"[4] That journey comes to a conclusion at the end of the album's final track, "Cygnus," which was heavily inspired by the "Star Gate" sequence from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Persson elaborated on the theme and story behind the final moments of the album, stating: "What we were trying to put across in those last few minutes was the sound of us penetrating the outer-outer limits of space.

"[4] Coinciding with the album's official announcement, Cult of Luna began promoting Mariner in February 2016 with an online stream of the opening track, "A Greater Call".

[7] Coinciding with the album's first tour announcement in June 2016, the band released a music video for "Chevron" directed by Spanish filmmaker Javier Longobardo, who was requested to "create a journey through unknown worlds with continuous momentum.

"[4] In November 2016, seven months after the album's release, Cult of Luna will embark on a five-date European tour in support of Mariner and perform it in its entirety.