Sam Kassirer, a member of Josh’s Royal City Band, produced the album for Thirty Tigers Records.

The songs on Spectral Lines float forward through all kinds of sonic environments, from the winds of Mars, through realms caustic and sumptuous.

The album received positive critical reaction and has a weighted score on Metacritic of 75 indicating generally favorable reviews.

Writing for No Depression, Matt Ruppert wrote “Ultimately, Ritter weaves a hopeful tapestry that encourages listeners to sit with each other in introspection, but not to forget to sing along.”[2] Paste Magazine listed the album as one of the 10 best albums of April 2023, writing, “Josh Ritter is like a more open-hearted version of Leonard Cohen.

“The end result is an album that demands a concerted listen in order to fully appreciate all the tones and textures it has to offer.