Co-produced by Simon Oscroft, Iain Berryman, and Hugo Silvani, Smitten was recorded in both Los Angeles and London, with production beginning in late 2023.

Pale Waves began to work on the songs that would comprise Smitten soon after the release of their 2022 album Unwanted,[11] with the band's lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie served as primary songwriter.

"[12] The album's lyrical themes were inspired by Baron-Gracie's choice to revisit her "long-forgotten" teenage diary and explore any emotional material she happened to come across.

[13] Baron-Gracie ultimately welcomed the chance to revisit the past, as it allowed her to realise that as people mature, they become more open to reflecting on parts of their lives that they may have previously blocked out.

[12] Baron-Gracie shared in a behind-the-scenes interview that, in terms of their songwriting process, the band would often "sit down with an acoustic guitar" and experiment with musical snippets or ideas, constructing a song as they went.

Previously, Oscroft had produced songs by OneRepublic, the Naked and Famous, and the Aces,[16] whereas Berryman had co-produced fellow Dirty Hit artist Beabadoobee's album Beatopia (2022).

[17] When asked by Rock Sound how the band decided to work with Oscroft, Baron-Gracie revealed: "I met Simon when we wrote 'Seeing Stars' together, and I instantly knew that I wanted to write the majority of the record with him ... As a writer and producer, he's so talented, and he understands what I'm going for.

[10][18] Initially, Pale Waves had intended for the tracks recorded by Oscroft to serve as demos that the group would then rework upon their return to England.

[21] Pale Waves intended Smitten to be a "romantic, delicate, and feminine" record, whose jangly guitars and powerful choruses reflected the band's "retro-pop and gothic influences".

[23][24][25][26][27] Much of the album's sound was informed by country musicians like Kelsea Ballerini and Kacey Musgraves, whose recordings often rely on acoustic guitar and vocals alone.

[23] The third track on the record, "Gravity" is a "bright", "dreamy", and "guitar-forward" song that focuses on the "torment of being dragged in different directions by a lover who can't choose between their relationship or their religion".

"[14] "Thinking About You" is a "tender goth-pop excursion" whose lyrics Baron-Gracie wrote to explore "a situation when someone leaves and you can't quite fully move on yet".

[14] Prominently featuring "jangly, rhythmic guitar" and vocals "reminiscent of The Cranberries", "Perfume" sees "the band's gothic impulses coming to the fore".

[32][34][35] In contrast, "Last Train Home" is a slower, more "contemplative ballad" which Atwood Magazine suggests "reverses the roles from 'Not a Love Song'", by having "the singer [mourn] the demise of a past relationship they weren't able to commit to".

[37][38] "Miss America", which was originally envisioned as an acoustic song,[39] finds Baron-Gracie reflecting on past mistakes, while "Hate to Hurt You" explores the discomfort and regret that come with causing pain to others.

[38] "Seeing Stars", which Dork magazine has described as a "dreamy slice of head-over-heels romance", was the product of the band's months-long struggle to settle on a cohesive "vision" for Smitten.

[23] When thinking of a potential title for the album, Baron-Gracie wanted to use a single, definitive word that could capture the record's lyrical, musical, and thematic essence.

In an interview with Rock Sound Baron-Gracie explained that the final result was conceived by her and her partner, Kelsi Luck: Originally, I wanted to be lying in the English countryside as the sun was setting.

[46][47] The second single from the album, "Glasgow", was released on 12 July 2024, along with an accompanying music video, which features Heather Baron-Gracie packing a suitcase and driving off in a car, all while clad in a wedding dress.

The music video for the song, also directed by Cowan-Turner, focuses on Baron-Gracie and her real-life partner Kelsi Luck "spend[ing] a tender day together".

[56] DIY magazine argued that Smitten marks a return to the band's 80s-inspired synth-pop sound while also showcasing a more autobiographical approach to songwriting when compared to their previous work.

"[25] Edwin McFee of Hot Press wrote that the album was "brimming with bangers" and that "fans of '90s indie-pop will fall head over heels for" the record.

[57] Callum Foulds of The Line of Best Fit awarded the album seven out of ten stars, writing that "Smitten is Pale Waves returning to the sound that made them such an enigmatic new face in British music.

[59] Dylan Tuck of The Skinny awarded the album four out of five stars and complimented the record for pleasantly synthesising the "silken synth-pop" style of My Mind Makes Noises with the "punkish-pop" that characterised Who Am I?

[58] Similarly, Tom Williams of The Telegraph wrote in a three-out-of-five star review that Smitten is Pale Waves "as you've always known them; painting big feelings in broad brush strokes, wearing their influences on their sleeve and prioritising power chords and festival-ready hooks over nuance and specificity.