Hartnoll, wishing to produce something different from Orbital's output,[2] wrote The Ideal Condition with a more acoustic focus, in comparison to the electronic nature of most of his previous work.
Arranger Chris Elliott helped Hartnoll to move the album in this direction, taking music that Orbital would have produced electronically, and having it played by a union-full orchestra.
[2] People who are featured collaborating on The Ideal Condition were Robert Smith, Joseph Arthur, Lianne Hall, and Akayzia Parker.
The experimental track used heartbeat data from UK cyclists, and was created to highlight the benefits that cycling to work can have on heart health.
[7][8][9] In June 2021, the pair released a single from the album called "Garden Centre (Push the Trolley)"[10][11] as a follow-up to "I Need a Haircut".