[4] The album was recorded as a response, in a period during which it appeared that their relationship would end permanently, and as a result contains some of the artist's most personal and vulnerable material.

[3] Much of the album focuses on themes of love and heartbreak, but also of illness and death, reflective of the AIDS epidemic sweeping Europe at the time.

[6] The album's sleeve is a portrait of Momus clad in knight's armour, photographed by notable French artists Pierre et Gilles.

[5] AllMusic critic Steve Huey panned the album as inconsistent, but noted that it "can't be divorced from [the] context" of Momus's tumultuous personal life.

Louder Than War critic Craig Chaligne commented that the album had "a certain timelessness", and that "Momus’ soulful delivery masks a rather bleak set of lyrics".