With the release of the Prepare to Be Wrong EP in late 2005, the group completed their contract with independent label Victory Records.

Straylight Run expanded their musical palette by incorporating acoustic instruments, strings and marching drums, among others.

Straylight Run released their self-titled debut album through independent label Victory Records in October 2004.

[1] The group documented the recording process with video footage across their YouTube and Myspace profiles, and photos through their Flickr account.

In addition, Shep Goodman and Kenny Giooia also mixed the first ten tracks at General Studios, before George Marino mastered them at Sterling Sound.

[5] With The Needles the Space, the band moved towards a more pop-oriented sound, incorporating acoustic instruments, pop melodies,[8] a horn section, strings, marching drums,[9] toy pianos, choirs and handclaps.

[11] Musically, it has been classed as indie rock,[12][13] drawing comparisons to Belle and Sebastian, the Decemberists,[8] Arcade Fire[9] and Rainer Maria.

[10] The opening track "The Words We Say" features a steady drum pattern and dazed vibe with Nolan and DaRosa harmonizing throughout it, before leading into "The Miracle That Never Came", the first DaRosa-led song on the album.

[15] "Soon We'll Be Living in the Future" serves as a bridge between the group's old and new material, as it retains the energy and emotion of their past work and places it within a bigger sound.

[6] "How Do I Fix My Head" displays the band's the range of their instrumentation: guitar picking, electronic sounds, Noon's constant drumming, coalescing during the song's final minute and a half.

Chris Valentino and Sean McCabe of the Arrogant Sons of Bitches contributed baritone/tenor saxophone and trombone respectively to "Take It to Manhattan", "Still Alone" and "We'll Never Leave Again".

[24] The Needles the Space was made available for streaming on June 12,[25] and was released a week later through Universal Republic[20] alongside the TNTS Digital EP which included new tracks "I'd Be Lying" and "Waiting on the Weekend".

[33] In April and May, the band went on the Get a Life Tour alongside the Used, Army of Me and the Street Drum Corps, which included a performance at The Bamboozle festival.

's Sari Delmar wrote that the band "craft poppy rock dripping with originality, yet comfortably so", and were "successful because of their ability to try new things and make them work".

Club writer Kyle Ryan said the band were more focused with this album compared their previous work, though the hooks are largely "eschewed for atmosphere, and the generally subdued tracks cohere nicely, albeit dully".

[37] Trevor Kelley of Spin said previously they "struggled to find a balance between co-songwriter John Nolan’s dramatic piano pop and his sister Michelle’s sultry balladeering.

He acknowledged the "much more rich and layered" songwriting, but felt they "completely swapped out the energy necessary to bring their songs fully to life".

[39] AllMusic reviewer Andy Whitman noted the increased presence of DaRosa's vocals, and said that while her voice works on some songs, it was "no match for the dynamics and passion needed for the adolescent soap operas" of "How Do I Fix My Head" and "This Is the End".

He added that "too often these songs take on the histrionic qualities that doom Dashboard Confessional albums and high school diaries alike" as some of them were weighed down by the "lyrical and musical bombast, the hyperventilating choruses vying with the swelling guitars".

[36] The Morning Call contributor Kelly Federico also highlighted the wider inclusion of DaRosa's "breathy, child-like vocals play a bigger role.

[42] Kaj Roth of Melodic was much harsher, calling the album a "major disappointment in every category," stating that it was a "boring affair of indie rock", dismissing DaRosa's role outright.