After finalizing their lineup, Something Corporate began performing at local venues, eventually gaining support slots for groups such as Better Than Ezra and Sugar Ray.
[1] Partington said they wanted the album's atmosphere to be a "little bit darker", which he felt they would not be able to achieve if they were "recording 45 miles away from home".
Robert Lang Studios gave the band the opportunity to track in isolation, without any distractions from their hometown and the weather of California.
Kaffel and Wirt mixed the recordings at Interscope Studios in Santa Monica, with assistance from engineer Neal Ferrazzani.
Further mixing was performed at Skip Saylor Recording in Los Angeles, with assistance from engineer James Mugshorn.
[11] "As You Sleep", "Down", "Me and the Moon", "Ruthless", "She Paints Me Blue", "Break Myself", "21 and Invincible", "Miss America" and "Watch the Sky" were credited to McMahon.
[15] Alternative Addiction wrote that the group mixed "piano melodies with rocking guitars creating the 'melodic punk' sound" that was also on their second album.
[9] Discussing "Space", Partington said there was nothing more infuriating than being with someone who loves you more than life "but can't necessarily even come close to grasping what you are all about at times.
[7] The majority of "Me and the Moon" was written while McMahon was sharing a guest room with New Found Glory vocalist Jordan Pundik.
It featured five pillars, all of them fitted with video monitors, placed in various locations within Los Angeles, such as in an alleyway or at a bus stop.
[36] Around the album's release, the band was featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as appearing on MTV2 programs New Faces of Rock and Advanced Warning.
[37] From late October to early December 2003, the band went on a headlining tour across the US with support from Rx Bandits, Mae, Days Away[38] and the Format.
[39] The first date of the tour, which was planned to take place in San Diego, was postponed till mid-December due to California wildfires.
[40] Towards its conclusion, Rx Bandits dropped off, citing personal reasons, and were replaced by different acts for the remaining nights.
Though this was initially for six shows,[32] it was later expanded into a full tour running in March and April[45] with support from Steriogram and the Format.
[46] To help promote it, the group offered a free live album, which recorded in November, to people that bought North at select retailers.
AllMusic reviewer Andrew Leahey wrote that McMahon traded "shunning the drunk high school girls and classroom bullies" on their second album for "thoughtful ruminations on love, celebrity, and the steady approach of adulthood.
"[50] Leahey noted that while the album contained "some filler ... probably more" than Leaving Through the Window, North showed that the group had the "maturity to move past the majority of their Warped Tour brethren.
[16] IGN writer Jesse Lord noted that while second albums often fall into a sophomore slump, North leaves fan with "purely good music to enjoy.
"[53] He mentioned that McMahon's piano "blends in with the band so much better" compared to Leaving Through the Window, coming across as "feel[ing] natural, [and] not contrived.
[54] Roth pondered if McMahon listened to Vanessa Carlton, since he pushed the songs "one step further into an adorable trip of melodic euphoria.
"[54] The Phoenix writer Sean Richardson wrote that with North, the band "continue to prove themselves one of the most tuneful outfits in modern rock.
"[56] Richardson noted that halfway into the album, when the songs' "middling tempos start to bleed together," the group sounds "as if they were striving for a level of maturity that’s not quite within reach.
[14] White noted that it featured "lots of contemplative ballads," all of which "showcas[e] Andrew MacMahon's characteristic piano and smooth vocals.
"[64] To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, it was released on vinyl for the first time in November 2013[65] through independent label Enjoy the Ride Records.