The Fire was primarily written by Cardle, but also writing credits from by Eg White, Jack McManus, Jamie Hartman, James Walsh and others.

The album received wide positive response from critics, who complimented Cardle's voice, songwriting and harder sound.

[2] On 9 September 2012, Cardle announced that he had signed with So What Recordings, part of the Silva Screen Music Group.

"[3] Cardle is credited with producing the album, and co-writing nine of the record's ten tracks, alongside Starsailor frontman James Walsh, Eg White, whose previous credits include Adele and Will Young,[4] and Paul Statham, who has written for Dido and Kylie Minogue.

Lyrically, the album is predominantly about the break up of Cardle's relationship with dancer Sarah Robinson, who he met during his time on The X Factor.

[7][8] According to Cardle, the only track on the album (apart from the one he did not write, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face") that is not about his relationship breakup is "Water," which is about the death of his uncle Richard.

"[17] LSMedia also gave the album four out of five stars, describing it as "energetic yet emotional" and "full of growth".