Songs such as "Set You Free" won the pair some mainstream success as being featured in the soundtrack of the 2003 film School of Rock.

Heavy comparisons to another American blues-influenced garage rock duo, The White Stripes, were often made by the music media.

The cover art was made by Carney's brother Michael, who was responsible for the whole graphical process after the layout of The Big Come Up ended up done by Patrick Boissel of Alive Records.

As the Carneys drove around Akron trying to think of an idea, they ended up in a Super K-Mart and eventually found a concept upon finding a can of Royal Crown pomade.

[19] According to The Boston Globe, "Thickfreakness is an album that's meant to be felt as much as heard, rigged with plunging riffs, Auerbach's charcoal-smoke singing voice, and rhythmic pockets as deep as quicksand".