The album was produced and engineered by Dave Cobb and was released on May 13, 2014, through High Top Mountain, Thirty Tigers and Loose Music (Europe).

The title is an homage to the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles,[6] and also references the philosophical and cultural aesthetic of metamodernism.

[10] Simpson also performed a set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.

[12] Simpson's cover of "The Promise" by When in Rome was featured in the Season 2 Episode 9 of the HBO series The Leftovers.

[13] Jonathan Bernstein of American Songwriter noted Simpson's cover of When in Rome's "The Promise," stating that he "turns the song into a countrypolitan torch song that culminates in a cathartic release.