Suckapunch received generally favourable reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented the sognwriting and the album's aggressive tone.

While the tour was intended to promote VI, the band used the stint to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut studio album Take Off Your Colours (2008).

[12][13] In October and November 2019, the band went to Bang Saray, Thailand to recorded at Karma Sound Studios with producer Dan Austin.

"[14] "Kill the Mood" was partially recorded in Los Angeles, California over a two-hour session and Bluebell Hill Studio in Kent, before being finished in Thailand.

[22] Vocalist Josh Franceschi said VI "felt like we were sparring with the idea of the next step for the band", while Suckapunch "feels like we're there".

[23] The band wrote the majority of the tracks alone, but employed additional writers on a few tracks: Nick Hodgson on "Beautiful Way"; Julian Emery and Jim Irvin on "Suckapunch"; Mark Jackson and Ian Scott on "Kill the Mood"; and Corey Sanders and Jon Maguire on "Adrenaline".

[24] Sanders had been a long-term fan of the band, having met them a decade prior and told them he would eventually write a song with them.

[25] Some of the songs originated while the band was touring their fifth studio album Night People (2017), which were intentionally left off VI.

[33][34] It dates back to June–July 2019 when Franceschi was at Flint's residence and the latter showed the former an early version of the track that he worked on with Heyler.

[36] It is the band's heaviest song since "Bite My Tongue" on their third studio album Sinners Never Sleep (2011), and is driven by Flint's breakbeats.

[16][21][28] The song's creation was a result of Flint and Franceschi talking about music, going into their separate rooms to work on ideas and merged them together.

[49] "Kill the Mood" was written in Los Angeles, California; the band wanted it to be a "Kendrick Lamar [track] with guitars".

[52] Alongside this, Heyler used other guitar parts, such as a "sludgy down progression" recalling the "swaggy rock and roll" of Oasis, merging it with a West Coast hip hop sound.

[65] Franceschi wrote the penultimate song "Finish What I Started" about an instance where he nearly took his own life; it was written while touring Night People in Germany in 2017.

[67] The closing track, "What's It Like", is an electronic rock song with influence from hip hop, recalling Amo (2019)-era Bring Me the Horizon.

[8][33] Discussing the song, Franceschi said he "sort of poke[s] fun at those who are libertines or self-serving [...] Life's not a competition, but people have a tendency to play it out that way".

[10] "Our House (The Mess We Made)" was released as a non-album single in February 2020, with funds going to an Australian bushfire relief.

[68][69] "Make Me Feel Alive" was released as a single on 21 August 2020; the song's music video is done in a split screen point-of-view style, and features a cameo from Leigh Gill.

[80] In May and July 2021, the band embarked on a UK tour, bookending an appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival in June.

[82][83] Discussing the decision to reissue the album, Franceschi explained that "amidst the ongoing pandemic we found ourselves in an interesting place, we can’t tour, but don’t feel ready to start a new project.

"[54] Ali Shuter of NME noted that few of the lyrics could be "read like they were written by an angsty teen wearing a 'normal people scare me' badge, but the raw passion of Franceschi's soaring delivery ... feel empowering."

's Jake Richardson praised the band's experimentation with different genres, though it was not "flawless", citing the closing track as a misstep.

It jabs with style, and demonstrates that, far from running out of ideas, this band remain intent on staying at the cutting edge of modern British rock.

"[91] Lucy Toole at Hot Press found it to be the band's "most expansive, genre-defying sound to date", with the "raw passion at the centre of their approach, as they face up to the reality of adulthood in their songwriting.

"[92] Suh Fell of Clash wrote that the band "have managed to craft a hard hitting and forward thinking record that fuses more traditionalist elements of rock with sounds from genres currently dominating cultural conversation.