[1] Following the success of the previous album, Cog once again chose to record the follow-up at RadioStar Studios in Weed, California with Sylvia Massy.

In this pursuit, Gower made a deliberate intent to alter their approach to writing the album in that "this time we really tried to nail things.

[2] Speaking on the major themes of the album Lucius Borich identified "research into 9/11" and "occult and political subjects" as information that "just needed to get out”.

We’ve really tried to explore as many possibilities in what music has to offer.”[2] The sample at the beginning of "The Movie's Over" was a speech given by Mario Savio on December 2, 1964 at the University of California, Berkeley on the steps of Sproul Hall.

Stewart Mason of AllMusic observed that Cog "expanded the parameters of their sound" to include: "angst rock", "slow builds to eventual explosions" and even "potential radio fodder".