Thick as Thieves also marks the first album by the band without guitarist and founding member Lorenzo Sillitto, after his departure in late 2013.

Upon release, Thick as Thieves was met with lukewarm positive reviews, though an improvement on the reception of the band's previous album.

[9] Criticism was mostly aimed at the deviation from the precedent set by Conditions, with reviewers reaching a consensus that this ultimately had a negative impact on the music.

[11] The move was not an acceptance of critics' opinions on The Temper Trap, with lead singer Dougy Mandagi claiming that he was "glad" the band recorded the album.

[17] He also stated that the album's lengthy production had aided in the writing and recording of the songs, saying that the band "had the time and space to develop tracks in a way which allowed them to take on a new life during the process.

"[18] Kim Taylor Bennett of Noisey compared the track to "U2's sky-scraping bombast with a bass drum thwack and crash reminiscent of "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes.

"[18] Mandagi touts "Alive", the sixth track on Thick as Thieves, as the band's "sexiest number for sure", with "all swagger and menacing bass lines."

The song was further described by Laurence Day of The Line of Best Fit as one with a "quivering bassline and sharp, punchy beats, and a to-the-rafters chorus erupts to relieve the tension.

[7] Chan, along with Myuran Sukumaran, were charged and sentenced to death in 2005 for leading a heroin-smuggling operation in Indonesia, and made headline news in Australia after the newly-elected President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, ordered their execution in early 2015 after an unusually prolonged period on death row, despite multiple calls for clemency internationally.

[28][29] Lead vocalist Dougy Mandagi had met Malay during his stay in Los Angeles, and the two had a mutual admiration and respect for each other's work.

[11] The band met up and held their first sessions at the La Casa Artist Residency, a recording studio situated in Byron Bay, New South Wales, and owned by American filmmaker Taylor Steele.

Contrasting from a traditional recording studio, the residency was originally set up by Steele as a retreat for artists to spend time, between a few days to a few weeks, to "find inspiration and make art, with Byron Bay as their muse.

The band amassed over thirty ideas for songs during the sessions, with "Lost" and "Summer's Almost Gone" being two of the earliest written and recorded tracks to eventually appear on the final album.

[34] The album was on-pace for a slated early 2014 release, however, production was jolted by guitarist and founding member Lorenzo Sillitto's resignation from the band in late September 2013.

"[37][38] A statement by the band, released later that same day, read in support of Sillitto, calling him "a great friend and a valued and important member of The Temper Trap since he joined in 2006."

[citation needed] The loss of a guitarist was an initial concern for the band when considering their live performances moving ahead, but they became used to the idea, after adopting the "raw [and] leaner sound" that came with fewer guitars on stage.

[41][42] Recording was also briefly held in lieu of another headline and festival tour of Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, which played out from late 2014 to early 2015.

[7] During late 2014 and early 2015, the band moved recording and production over to Montreal, Quebec, at the Golden Ratio Studios, where they worked with Canadian music producer Damian Taylor, who had previously worked with American rock band The Killers on their 2011 album Battle Born, and as a creative companion to Icelandic musician Björk.

[47] Mandagi expressed dissatisfaction with the album's lengthy recording process, though insisted that he and the band were, in contrast, satisfied with the outcome and the final product, stating, "sometimes it was ok, sometimes it was a bit trying but you know nothing good comes easy we just had to keep at it.

[b] In addition to the announcement, the album's fifth track, "Fall Together" was premiered through a video uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel,[17][21] and appeared on a single, released in the United States on 12 April 2016.

[64] Similar to the shows played during mid-2016, the North American tour was staged in small venues, including the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia,[65] and lasted from 19 September through to 19 October 2016.

Joseph Greer's guitar work and the album's musical composition and mixing was often highlighted as positives in reviews of Thick as Thieves.

While he felt that the album "bit over-thought in parts - like they needed help to do what once came naturally to get the blasted record out", he concluded his review by stating that Thick as Thieves was "undeniably strong, if lacking risks - this is everything The Temper Trap do very well indeed.

"[22] Also approving of the reversion to the sound of Conditions was Jules LeFevre of Australian music magazine website FasterLouder, who noted, "at first glance [the album] appears to be an attempt to reclaim the spotlight on the festival stages, but on closer inspection reveals a sturdy core.

LeFevre continued by praising the largely guitar-driven composition of the record, in spite of Lorenzo Sillitto's exit, and commented positively on the "simpler, gritter, more blues and classic rock driven" guitars helmed by Joseph Greer.

[67] In writing a positive review for AllMusic, he also praised Mandagi's vocals as a "powerful and emotive" presence on the album, commenting on the "scintillating" combination of his vocals and the album's "thick wave of electric guitars, pulsing synths, and drums", comparing the sound to the music of Cee Lo Green and The Killers.

Collar additionally described Thick as Thieves as "a heartfelt love letter to The Temper Trap's fans who have stuck with them since Conditions.

[74] Dan Stapleton, writing for the Australian faction of the American-based music magazine Rolling Stone, was more critical of Thick as Thieves, describing the songs on the album as "[approximating] Coldplay at their least inspiring", citing the lyricism of "So Much Sky" and "Lost", in particular.

He also noted, "to recapture their simple, early magic, the Temper Trap may need to put their obvious stadium ambitions on hold."