Hoshino's first collaborative work, it includes features from British indie pop band Superorganism, Japanese rapper Punpee [ja], and English musician Tom Misch.

By its completion, he was unsure how to proceed forward, unlike his previous albums which had left him wanting to attempt new projects immediately;[1]: 1  at some points, he considered quitting music.

[7] During the album's domestic touring effort, Hoshino became friends with the British indie pop band Superorganism, Japanese rapper Punpee [ja], and English musician Tom Misch.

He recalled to Billboard Japan that the process was reminiscent to when he began playing music with friends in middle school, a feeling he said continued into the recording sessions with Punpee and Misch.

The lack of focus on sales made Hoshino more comfortable co-writing and producing the songs, unlike his previous work where had felt obligated to take the initiative himself, even during collaborations.

[14][7] Hirokazu Koike of Rockin'On Japan called the solitude one of expression, and described the EP as Hoshino announcing a "love-filled fuck you to the world" as he "[carves] departures into romantic songs".

[18] Over a mellow beat and piano loop with gospel and New Orleans-influenced trumpet, Hoshino and Punpee discuss in conversation-like verses how they started music with solitude, and the uncertainty and gratification they gained alongside larger fanbases.

[11] Misch's contributions includes guitar and keyboard bass inspired by soul, jazz, hip-hop, and electronic genres, backed by Hoshino singing with intimate soul-like falsetto.

[22][23] A lyric video to "Sarashi-mono" was uploaded on the day of the EP's release, followed by a similar one for "Ain't Nobody Know" starring actor Yutaka Matsushige on November 13.

[24][25] Music videos were created for all songs; "Same Thing" was shot with Hoshino and Superorganism in Sydney, Australia, and was premiered on October 17, 2019;[26] "Ain't Nobody Know" was released on January 16, 2020, and composes close-up shots of three couples, with the final scene showing Hoshino meeting actress/model Nana Komatsu in a coffee shop;[27] released on February 20, "Watashi" features a simple style to match it as the only solo song on the EP, and was recorded entirely in plastic film;[28] the animated video to "Sarashi-mono" was uploaded on March 18, directed by past collaborator Ryu Okubo using roughly two thousand illustrations of Hoshino and Punpee.

[15] Asuka Nakamura at Tower Records Japan's Mikiki wrote that the collaborations felt natural – not as if Hoshino was awkwardly writing with unrelated artists – and thought the EP showcases it was the result of a fun development process.

[7] Music journalist Imdkm for Rolling Stone Japan wrote that Same Thing is filled with a freshness that feels as if Hoshino reset his knowledge from his past albums, "painting himself in the colors" of the collaborators.

[30] Conversely, Real Sound's Mori said that it establishes a new style for Hoshino, but thought that it was too early to call it a "complete mode change" and expected that his new vision would be made clearer with the following works.

[31] By including the simplistic acoustic track "Watashi", Imdkm wrote that Hoshino turned the EP into a statement that indicates a restart of his career up until Pop Virus.

[7] Koike called the composition excellent, noting the lively punk sound on "Same Thing", the soul chorus on "Sarashi-mono", and the guitar phrase partenered with Hoshino's falsetto on "Ain't Nobody Know".

[15] Ogawa, writing on the website of the Shibuya live house Liquidroom [ja], called it a "disperse" collection of collaborations born from Hoshino's real-life relations, featuring a "rich sense of privacy" in its solitary sound, melodies, and lyrics.

[2] With its release as a promotional single, the title track debuted at number 61 on the Billboard Japan Top Streamings Songs chart dated October 9, 2019.