Ten of the album's tracks were musically written by all members of the band, with Mark Avsec writing all lyrics.

Poletown marked a dramatic departure from the band's previous work, with the songs being lyrically and musically dark and brooding.

[4] The song's title track tells the story of immigrants who build a small town, which later becomes devastated when the major employer leaves.

The lyrics refer to General Motors workers in Michigan, though a photo of West Aliquippa was included within the album's booklet.

In a 1998 interview with bangSheet, Avsec revealed how the album materialized: "The Poletown record was done right after I finished law school, and right before I started studying for the bar.

"[6]Virginia Ross Lutz of The Times/Beaver Newspapers, Pennsylvania, wrote "This is one musical journey you might not want to miss, especially if you happen to be a Donnie Iris fan.

In addition to Avsec's doom-and-gloom look at "Poletown," the album sets a dark mood with "The Stalker" and "Bitter Lemons."

"[7] In the Cleveland Free Times, of September 2, 1998, writer Anastasia Pantsios noted "Poletown made a small stab at going the Springsteen route (or probably, more accurately, the Joe Grushecky route) and writing an album that approached social commentary about the disruption of the lives of working-class people.

"[8] In Volume 1, Issue 8 of bangSheet, dated October 5, 1998, writer Feeway Cummings said: "An absolutely stunning batch of songs.

"[9] Kurt V. Hernon of bangSheet also noted "The album was a superb return to form and was the logical progression of the Cruiser sound.