[3] After showing his manager the material, McMahon contacted a friend of his, producer Butch Walker and asked if he wanted to work together.

[7] McMahon tracked piano and acceptable vocal takes; most of his time he spent waiting in the other room or return home and Walker was busy working on the songs.

[8] Walker played nearly every instrument on the album, including guitar, bass, drums,[9] with the exception of keyboards.

[3] The string parts were arranged by Rob Mathes, and were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, UK.

[10] The name of the album may have been inspired by lyrics from a b-side called "Post Hawaii", which was released in September 2021, in McMahon's subscription-based fan club service, Camp Wilderness.

[12] "Teenage Rockstars" sees McMahon mulling over his early career while he attended high school[13] while part of Something Corporate, and had a similar tone to "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople.

[16] He tried tackling the theme in a Jack's Mannequin song "Starting a Rock Band"[17] but felt he lacked the perspective until now.

Associated Press writer Pablo Gorondi wrote that it "stripp[ed] off a decade or three from [Zombies on Broadway]'s electronic sounds to create an intimacy that varies between translucent and supercharged."

"[22] Vincent Croce of The Stylus found it to be a "very pop-centered and melodic album", acting as a "personal work that was executed with catchy choruses and beautiful melodies".

[36] Sputnikmusic staff member SowingSeason said the tracks "rel[ied] on [McMahon's] lyrics and emotional conviction to draw the listener in."

He felt that "a lot of the energy has been sucked out of the room", and "every song plays a ballad, which means if you aren’t digging the lyrics or vibing with the particular emotion he’s putting on the table, you’re most likely bored.