The record was originally issued pseudonymously as Son of a Plumber, although a 2021 reissue includes Gessle's name on the album cover, and it now appears as part of his solo discography on music download and streaming services.

Despite containing only of an hour of music, Gessle chose to release Son of a Plumber as a double album, saying he was inspired by the vinyl LPs he listened to as a child.

"Hey Mr. DJ (Won't You Play Another Love Song)" and "I Like It Like That" were also released as singles, along with a remix EP titled Dancing Plumber, Vol.

[5] In 2004, Gyllene Tider reformed to celebrate their 25th anniversary,[6] releasing the studio album Finn 5 fel!, their first new material since 1996.

was promoted by a concert tour of Sweden, with the band performing to over 58,000 people in a single night at the Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg,[8] breaking an attendance record previously held by Bruce Springsteen.

[9] Rather than release his next album as a solo artist, or with Gyllene Tider or Roxette,[A] Gessle chose to work under the pseudonym Son of a Plumber.

[12][13] Producer Clarence Öfwerman initially suggested the idea of working under a pseudonym, saying that recording an album under a new name could liberate Gessle creatively.

[6] Gessle said he was reluctant to release another Swedish-language album following the success of Mazarin and Gyllene Tider,[14] and that he wanted Son of a Plumber to "feel like a debut, for my own sake.

[15] The album was recorded by many of the same musicians who contributed to Mazarin,[16] including Lundquist and Öfwerman,[3] and vocalist Helena Josefsson.

[17] Gessle claimed the studio – built in an old farm house – is haunted, and that he experienced paranormal events during recording.

[18] The album differs from Gessle's previous work, in that he created only three demos prior to recording sessions beginning in November 2004.

"[14] Nöjesguiden noted influences from acts such as Swedish band Hep Stars, The Beatles and Paul McCartney's solo work, as well as Elton John's collaborations with Kiki Dee, and said the album as a whole could be described as psychedelic power pop.

They also compared it to several albums released in 1967, including Between the Buttons by the Rolling Stones, The Who Sell Out, Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and the discography of Andrew Loog Oldham's label Immediate Records.

[12] Sydsvenskan said it contained "echoes" of The Kinks, The Monkees, Serge Gainsbourg, Burt Bacharach, and Simon & Garfunkel.

[32] Gessle said "I Have a Party In My Head (I Hope It Never Ends)" is his favourite song on the album, saying the track "turned out exactly as I had imagined it.

[13][24] LP#2 opens with "Kurt - The Fastest Plumber in the West", an instrumental song inspired by the music of Spaghetti Western films.

[17][24] Expressen described "Brilliant Career" as "insanely cute",[24] while Aftonbladet compared "Burned Out Heart" to the work of Pink Floyd and Queen.

[13] The album concludes with a reprise of "Drowning in Wonderful Thoughts About Her",[13] and "Making Love or Expecting Rain", which begins with a church organ[35] and features an outro sung in French.

[18] Gessle chose not to tour Sweden in support of the record,[14] focusing instead to promote it via television and media interviews.

[18] He performed at Swedish sports award ceremony Fotbollsgalan on 14 November 2005,[3] and said he hoped to tour European theatres should the album be successful outside of Sweden.

[11] Instrumental versions of songs from Son of a Plumber later appeared on the soundtrack to Jonas Åkerlund's 2012 film Small Apartments.

[47] An extended version of Son of a Plumber was released digitally in 2021, containing a third disc of b-sides, remixes and demo recordings.

[48][49] The album cover was created by Pär Wickholm and Kjell Andersson,[15] while Anton Corbijn provided photography for the booklet.

They highlighted the production and musicianship of Öfwerman, Lundquist, and Josefsson, and called the album "a musical statement worth taking seriously".

[26] Hallandsposten commended Gessle for releasing an album not defined by commercial expectations, saying the record may have sold more copies were it shorter in length.

"[31] Nerikes Allehanda praised the high quality of the 25 songs on Son of a Plumber, and described it as an "astonisingly personal" record despite containing "so many different sources of inspiration".

[53] Gradvall called the record Gessle's "prettiest release to date", saying it demonstrates his "astonishing breadth" as a songwriter.

[13] Sydsvenskan compared it negatively to Gessle's work with Gyllene Tider and Roxette, saying it did not contain enough potential singles.

[60] In late 2005, it was announced that Gessle's label Elevator Entertainment was Sweden's third most successful company in terms of profit margin.