[2] Daugherty also partnered with Michael Roe of the 77s on an Americana side project that officially coalesced into the duo Kerosene Halo, which also released its first, self-titled, album in 2011.

[3][4] Drummer and lyricist Steve Hindalong focused his attention on producing, with his most notable work being Sara Groves' highly successful and critically-acclaimed album Invisible Empires.

[7] Chandler's work in the side project Boy-O-Boy in 1984, recorded with fellow Daniel Amos guitarist Jerry Chamberlain, was finally independently released in 2011 under the title Giants of Pop.

[8] Guitarist Marc Byrd spent this period focused primarily on recording the double album Departure Songs with his post-rock band Hammock.

[14] Because of his work with Hammock, Byrd’s participation on this album was limited only to contributing high-pitched ambient guitar textures to three tracks: "Cross That River," "Laughter of Heaven" and "Melodious.

When asked about the band's long independent status, Hindalong confirmed that this creative freedom allowed The Loudest Sound Ever Heard to be recorded with no commercial goal in mind, but simply because the Choir enjoyed creating music together.

Most of the songs on The Loudest Sound Ever Heard were written after Daugherty had developed various guitar melodies and tones, which then prompted Hindalong to compose lyrics based on his emotional responses to these tracks.

[17] Members of the Choir also acknowledged a number of musical influences throughout this album, from Motown-inspired guitar on the opening track, "Strange Girl,"[23] to the "Beatles chord" that closes out "Melodious.

[11] In the year prior to the recording of this album, he had joined a 12-step program at his church, and Hindalong claimed that this experience led to a strengthened marriage and deeper connection to God.

"[33] As was typical for Choir albums, Hindalong's lyrics also addressed his domestic life ("Strange Girl," "O How")[26][34] and his friendships inside the band ("Melodious").

Because of the weighty themes explored on the album, the Choir opted to kick off the record with a "pop song" rather than one of their moody compositions, as had become typical for the band.

[35] Alongside his recovery process, Hindalong worked with his church's outreach to the homeless, and after spending the better part of one night volunteering, he found himself in a Trader Joe's parking lot, waiting for the store to open to get some coffee.

"[33] While the lyrics on this album address Christian themes more directly than some of the Choir's prior recordings, Hindalong preferred to avoid dogmatic statements and focus on the universal importance of love and mercy, particularly in songs like "A World Away," and the closing track, "After All.

"[11] To inspire the cover design, Hindalong sent the lyrics of "Learning to Fly"—which contains the phrase "the loudest sound ever heard," in reference to the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa—to photographer Chris Knight.

All those who pre-ordered The Loudest Sound Ever Heard also received a companion CD that featured running commentary for each song on the album from Daugherty, Hindalong, Chandler and Michaels.

[11] On July 22, 2012, Daugherty, Hindalong, Chandler and Michaels went back into the studio to record, produce, mix and finish an entire song in one day.

[15][37] In 2015, to publicize their Circle Slide 25th Anniversary Tour, the Choir briefly offered The Loudest Sound Ever Heard as a free download via NoiseTrade.

John Wilson from Christianity Today praised the album for recalling "the dark, Euro six-string vibe of latter '80s underground rock [...] a very good thing made even better by hooky melodies, crackling musicianship, and Steve Hindalong's better-than-ever lyrics.

"[47] Bert Saraco's otherwise positive review at The Phantom Tollbooth included a similar caveat: "Taken as the third piece of an excellent series of recent albums, The Loudest Sound Ever Heard is a masterful third movement of theme and subject matter, with music that reflects the somber thoughts laid out.

"[48] Tim Goodall at Cross Rhythms agreed, calling "After All" "gloriously haunting," and added that Derri Daugherty "has found his perfect partner in Leigh Nash.