]"[2] Following her tour in support of the previous record, she decided to turn away from music for six months, and instead invested her time in a number of different pursuits, exploring the spiritualist and mystical side of Los Angeles.

Marling also added a layer of distorted, bowed, electric guitar, to the album, creating a low, dissonant sound, reminiscent of urban background noise.

Marling describes another part of her American experience in the lead single, ″False Hope″, which is about her time in Manhattan when Hurricane Sandy struck.

Often his response to what Marling said was, "It's a short fucking movie, man," this attitude influencing the lyrics on the title song.

She recorded with long-time cellist, Ruth de Turberville, the bassist, Nick Pini, and Noah and the Whale fiddler, Tom Hobden, with her co-producer Matt Ingram playing the drums.

Two live videos of the songs, False Hope and I Feel Your Love, were uploaded to Marling's YouTube account as part of promotion for the record.

In the run up to the album's release, Marling hired a number of artists to paint murals on billboards in various locations in London.

praised Marling's songwriting, writing that "her bold statements and revelations seem more grounded in real life observations this time around, less in archetypes.

"[22] Many reviewers have described Short Movie as a transitional record, marking her departure from a typically folk style to a more alternative or rock-oriented sound.