The album features an atmospheric rock-based aesthetic, in comparison to its primarily acoustic predecessor, Ashes & Fire (2011).

Following the release of Ashes & Fire (2011), and its successful accompanying tour, Adams returned to the studio in 2012 to record its follow-up with producer Glyn Johns.

[6] In March 2013, Adams debuted two new songs, “Where I Meet You In My Mind” and “In The Shadows”, at a one-off live performance.

The band included Ashes & Fire session musicians, Benmont Tench (keyboards) and Jeremy Stacey (drums); former Cardinals member Cindy Cashdollar (pedal steel); Adams' regular collaborator Ethan Johns (guitar) and Don Was (bass).

During this time, Adams produced[7] Fall Out Boy's PAX AM Days (2013), Ethan Johns' The Reckoning (2014), and Jenny Lewis's The Voyager (2014).

In 2013, Adams also formed a punk rock band entitled Pornography, releasing a limited edition EP, 7 Minutes in Heaven, for Record Store Day 2013.

In 2014, it was revealed that Adams had scrapped the Glyn Johns-produced successor to Ashes & Fire, and had started afresh at his studios, PAX AM, with his recording partner Mike Viola,[8] and bass guitarist Tal Wilkenfeld.

[9] The planned album had been greatly influenced by the death of Adams' grandmother, and reportedly cost $100,000 to produce.

[10] Regarding his decision to halt the album's release, Adams noted, "We were recording it in the same a way as Ashes & Fire.

"[11] After scrapping the Glyn Johns-produced studio album, which featured "entirely different songs" than those that appear on Ryan Adams,[11] Adams began working on compositions that he felt reflected his true personality, stating, "I’m too old to pretend like I give a shit about doing something that’s not what I am.

Guys you could just tell they’re grabbing a guitar, they’re just lost in a moment that’s urgent and they’re finding chords that reflect that urgency.