The band hoped to more accurately recreate the energy of their live shows on the album.

"We were taking those experience on stage as reference points, rather than shedding them when we go into the studio, which is what we would always do," co-frontman Scott McMicken said.

“We chose a batch of songs that are a little darker, or a little bit more heart-on-your-sleeve kind of stuff.”[13] The album also contains the most emotional lyrical content of the band's career.

Toby Leaman, the other frontman, also claims that "Station" is the only song he has ever written about touring and "leaving over and over again.

received considerable internet attention throughout the 2010s, as well as "Shadow People", becoming popular among indie band enthusiasts online.