[citation needed] The metallic percussive effect on "Free Coffee" was achieved by placing Altoids tins on top of the piano strings and feeding the audio output through a distortion pedal; Folds demonstrated this in live performances of the song.

[citation needed] On July 16, 2008, an anonymous user posted what they claimed was a "leak" of Folds's latest album on two fan sites.

The file contained nine tracks along with a PDF of supposed cover art, and was a mix of what appeared to be legitimate songs from Way to Normal and bizarre pastiches of foul-mouthed humour and melodramatic pop.

He claimed that he and the band recorded fake versions of songs from the new album when they "had a night to kill in Dublin", and had a friend leak it to the public "to give them something to listen to".

[19] After confirming that the leaked "Brainwashed", "The Frown Song" and "Free Coffee Town" were fake, he said that they would be used as B-sides and bonus tracks on future releases.