Like The Waves before, The Flames was performed entirely by Okereke, and recorded in his home studio with co-writer and producer Gethin Pearson.

[1] In an interview with The Line of Best Fit, Okereke said of the two albums: I'm seeing these records as a kind of Yin & Yang thing.

[3] The cover art for the single features Okereke burning a copy of Silent Alarm – an album by his band, Bloc Party.

The cover art for the single features Okereke burning a copy of the book Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis.

[7] The Line of Best Fit's Kate Crudgington lauded the album opining it is a "Poetically bookending a time of intense reflection and growth".