Sessions were held at Mission Sound and Headgear Studio, Brooklyn, New York City, with producer and engineer Tim O'Heir.

He mixed the album at Mission Sound; it was mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge in New York City.

The band's third and final single from the album "Time Stands Still" was released on July 14, 2003,[20] but gained no commercial success.

The album's opening track "My Paper Heart" was later released in late 2003 as a promotional single - a music video made up of footage from the band's Live from Oklahoma...

Guitar-driven and underpinned with a humane-sounding drum machine cranking out frenetic backbeats, each cut on this self-titled debut brims with harmonies that recall the early Who and classic Beach Boys.

[21] Kaj Roth of Melodic stated that the pop rock duo had "plenty of good vibes and catchy uptempo powerpop that will force the rain to take a hike and let the sun shine through", and favoured the song "Your Star"; saying it has "A superb groove that will make you ride a horse on the rodeo" and that "'Time Stands Still' will make the flowers bloom in the middle of winter.

"[26] Elizabeth Bromstein of Now magazine was more negative towards the sound of the album and gave it a rating of 1 out of 5 stars, quoting "As if their horrifyingly overdone pop-punk thing weren't bad enough, The All-American Rejects seem intent on embodying their name.

Incorporating the odd classic rock or 80s pop element doesn't improve things.