Vocalist and guitarist Jake Duzsik initially considered naming it Outer Dark, after the novel by Cormac McCarthy, but eventually settled on Rat Wars, the title of a track from their previous album Vol.

These included a previously Spotify exclusive cover of Deftones' "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)", and "The Drain" from Bad Omens' collaborative album Concrete Jungle [The OST].

felt that the band "conjure their most effective rendering yet of their distinct aesthetic, a slick night drive through rainy neon-lit streets in search of answers to existential crises".

[6] Sputnikmusic's Simon K. called it "a record that's more cinematic, darker, louder, heavier and harder than anything we've heard from them before today", likening the experience of listening to the album on headphones to being "in a confined space with the band lobbing grenades into it".

[5] DIY's James Smurthwaite felt that the album "can wash past with as much staying power as candyfloss in a puddle" but its highlights "are reminders of Health at their vibrant and varied best, something that Rat Wars fails to consistently capture".