The lyrics recount their tales of subversion and subterfuge: counter-offensives, tortured confessions and haunting vignettes of the strange new land in which they find themselves.

A spoken word narration, possibly made by a psychiatrist of a mental institution, is diagnosing Spychalski with "extremely volatile behaviour".

The closer "Lay Me Down" is a hopeful song in that according to Spychalski "[t]he narrator’s overcome his delusions and his demons [...] [he] made peace with himself.

While single "Wyrmlands" with its heavy use of jazz instrumentation was often compared to adjacent South London band Black Midi, "The End is Now" is an art pop song that features a gospel choir.

Later the track list, "The Worm" and "Past Life (Sinnerman's Song)" are structured more like musical theatre performances.

[5] Writing for The Telegraph, British music critic Andrew Perry welcomed the experimentation deployed on the album.

He wrote: "As a 40-minute listening experience, it's equal parts eccentric and impassioned, thought-provoking and out-there – if not exactly fun, given the mental-health issues, then certainly liberating, nourishing and thoroughly memorable.

which "can lead tracks such as the riff-heavy Wyrmlands into musical theatre territory as Spychalski crams lyrics amid instrumental virtuosity."

For Kalia, it shows HMLTD "as a band capable of committing to grand visions with brilliant intensity.