Open Here is more overtly political in its themes than Field Music's previous albums, with many of the songs inspired by David and Peter Brewis' frustration with the result of the Brexit referendum vote.

Other songs were inspired by David and Peter Brewis' children and the responsibilities of parenting, including "No King No Princess", which speaks out against social conceptions of femininity and masculinity.

Field Music involved a large number of guest musicians in recording the album, including saxophonist Pete Fraser, trumpeter Simon Dennis, flutist Sarah Hayes, and singer Liz Corney of The Cornshed Sisters, as well as the band's usual string quartet.

[2] In a press release, David Brewis said: "Where Commontime felt like a distillation of all of the elements that make up Field Music, [Open Here] feels like an expansion; as if we're pushing in every direction at once to see how far we can go.

"[4] The news release also described the album as "bigger in scale, and grander than anything Field Music have done before",[4] and compared it to the works of pop experimentalists from the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Godley & Creme, XTC, and Todd Rundgren.

[5] Open Here combines elements of alternative rock and chamber pop in the usual style of Field Music, which includes complicated chords, complex instrumentation, powerful drumming, and idiosyncratic but emotional lyrics.

[6] Between work on Commontime and Open Here, Field Music collaborated with the band Warm Digits and the Northern Symphonia to make the soundtrack for the film Asunder as part of the 14–18 NOW series of events to commemorate the centenary of World War I. Peter Brewis said that working with the full orchestra on that project gave Field Music more confidence in expanding the range of instruments in their own arrangements, inspiring them to use more wind instruments in addition to their usual string quartet.

[5] The opening track "Time in Joy" begins with breath-like rhythms, with minimal piano and synthesizer elements,[9] which gradually build into an erratic funk-like groove with circular staccato flute parts,[nb 1] a buoyant bassline,[nb 2] and clattering triangles and bells,[12][17] becoming what Michael Rancic of Uproxx describes as a "colourful, weightless melody" with string instruments supporting the vocal lines.

[9] The Independent music critic Andy Gill said "Time in Joy" sets the general tone for the entirety of Open Here, and called the song "a frothy, blissed-out ode to companionship wrapped in cascading flutes".

[7] "Count It Up" makes prominent use of drum machines, synthesizers, and keyboards,[3][5][20] in a funk-like style,[16][21] with a loose conversational vocal delivery typical of David Brewis's singing.

[7] "Share a Pillow" utilizes loud fast-paced horn sections,[13][22][23] driven by a blustering baritone saxophone,[1][12][16] which plays between vocal parts layered with harmonies.

[22][24] "No King No Princess" features scratchy guitar riffs and jagged drum loops,[12][25] with loud and vibrant blasts from horn instruments,[1][5] and vocals by Liz Corney from the band The Cornshed Sisters.

[7] John Murphy of musicOMH called "Open Here" "a gorgeously atmospheric number, starting with some Eleanor Rigby-style strings before developing into a masterful orchestral pop song".

[29] The song "Daylight Saving" includes pizzicato-style strings[27] coupled with soft rock grooves and powerful drumming,[6] before concluding with a sustained major chord.

[31] Open Here is more overtly political in its themes than any of Field Music's previous albums,[6][13] with many of the songs directly addressing David and Peter Brewis' frustration with the result of the Brexit referendum vote.

[1][18][29] "Count It Up" is even more pointed in its criticism of post-Brexit Britain,[1][12][35] going through a list one-by-one of societal privileges enjoyed and exploited by white members of the middle- and upper-class,[nb 4] including clean water, freedom of expression, and safety from day-to-day discrimination, among others.

"[5][7] He also said Field Music strove to write about serious topics like Brexit and social privilege while still maintaining a sense of humour: "I think the whole spirit of the album is to try to have fun in dark times; trying to be defiant about all the shit that's going on.

[1] John Murphy of musicOMH called "Find a Way to Keep Me" a particularly uplifting song from a musicality perspective, despite the dark subject matter, and added: "After the political storm of the previous half-hour, this is the closing calm.

He wrote, "The most recurrent motif on Open Here is a determined sense of realistic, measured positivity", and said of "Checking on a Message" in particular: "Its 128 swagger admirably refuses to have its spirit utterly crushed and irrevocably broken.

[23] Likewise, Sean Harper wrote that the album shows Field Music are "not content with wallowing in the state of things and [want] to inspire positive change".

"[17][39] Brewis said "Time in Joy" embodies "fun in the face of hardship" as well as "a kind of defiance in playfulness",[17][39] both in the context of personal experience and wider national events.

[6] It was the last of five consecutive albums Field Music recorded over seven years at the studio,[3][37][40] which was located on a light industrial estate in Sunderland overlooking the River Wear.

[18][19][31] Peter Brewis believed that deadline ultimately helped the recording process, resulting in a looser and less inhibited album: "I think we let the performances kind of run and we let some, almost, mistakes creep in.

[19] The recording process included Field Music's regular string quartet of Ed Cross, Ele Leckie, Jo Montgomery, and Chrissie Slater,[18][19][31] as well as guest appearances by saxophonist Pete Fraser, trumpeter Simon Dennis,[19][31] flutist Sarah Hayes, and singer Liz Corney of The Cornshed Sisters.

A one-minute promotional teaser video was released that included animated versions of the album cover artwork, with instrumental portions of the song "Time in Joy" playing in the background.

[35][45][46] Though they had considered shooting in parts of Sunderland that were affluent or poor, they ultimately decided "the most interesting locations were the ones that had been up and down, and sometimes were up and down at the same time; derelict factories that used to be the economic centre of the city or former shipyards that had been turned into apartments or business parks".

The tour began with two nights at the Northern Stage in Newcastle upon Tyne, and included stops in Amsterdam, Antwerp Birmingham, Brighton Bristol, Exeter, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich, Paris, Sheffield, and Southampton.

[49] Drowned in Sound writer Paul Brown singled out "Count It Up" as one of the best songs released in recent years, and complimented the Brewis brothers for constantly creating fresh material.

[34] For some critics it was Field Music's most purposeful album both in terms of message and scope, yet was still enjoyable to the common listener; Juan Edgardo Rodriguez of No Ripcord said: "There's a lot of joy to be had in the Brewis's calm and sophisticated protest.

[55] Multiple reviewers compared Open Here to the work of David Bowie,[nb 8] Talking Heads,[5][25][29] Steely Dan,[16][25][48] Peter Gabriel,[25][56] Prince,[14][23] and XTC.