Jhonn Balance originally wished to create a cohesive set of liner notes for Musick to Play in the Dark, which ended up only being published on Coil's website at the time.

refers to MDMA trips he took part in with friends, where they "would ask if each other were shivering, as pure doses can make the teeth chatter and the eyesight vibrate", "Broccoli" is "about greens and ancestor worship", and "Strange Birds", built around a found quote, refers to a period when Jhonn "regressed to BIRD MIND and only squawked and chirruped for three worrying days".

"[5] The development of the album began when Coil moved into a new studio, with new equipment including the Optigan (in spite of the Mellotron, which they had previously owned but found hard to use) and many vintage drum machines, as well as new software like Pro Tools.

[5] Drew McDowall was credited as contributing "very deeply tweaked granular synthesis material", including atmospheric clicks meant to resemble the crackling of fire.

Thighpaulsandra's contributions are best heard on "Red Birds Will Fly Out of the East and Destroy Paris in a Night", where he used a Roland SH-101 and a Synton Fenix.