Following promotional efforts for their sixth studio album, Us and Us Only, vocalist Tim Burgess and guitarist Mark Collins wrote new material at the former's house in Los Angeles, California.

Cocaine would have an impact on the writing and, later on, recording; sessions were held at producer Danny Saber's house studio, Krevorkian's Lab, also in Los Angeles.

Wonderland received generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised its sound, while Burgess' falsetto drew mixed responses.

[5] The first track that was written for their next album was "A Man Needs to Be Told", which vocalist Tim Burgess, guitarist Mark Collins, and James Spencer made a demo of.

He explained that drugs had an impact on the process: "LA coke, lots of it, dealers at the house 24/7 [...] And the environment changed the sound, the sun flooded in, the shutters were open and the ideas were flowing".

When they were seeing the sights and driving along the freeways, they would be listening to the classic rock stations, playing the likes of Isaac Hayes and Sly and the Family Stone.

[12] A week before recording was due to commence, the rest of the band arrived in Los Angeles and initially visited clubs and watched other artists perform.

[13] They stayed at the Oakwood Apartments on Barham Boulevard, close to Universal Studios Hollywood, and made a set-up in Collins' room where they could record potential ideas for songs.

[14] Burgess intentionally wanted them to record here in an attempt to leave the band's comfort zone, such as the members not being able to see their family on a nightly basis, which he felt hampered the making of Us and Us Only.

He mentioned that the atmosphere in Saber's place affected the songs; they spent the daytime writing and would later be recording in a blacked-out room on the third floor that they referred to as the "junkie den".

[10] Burgess praised Saber's expertise as a producer and a multi-instrumentalist, though he would brand him an egomaniac for being under the impression that bassist Martin Blunt, drummer Jon Brookes, and keyboardist Tony Rogers were holding the band back.

[28] Burgess said it was directly influenced by Californian soul music;[29] he added that they allowed "Los Angeles to join as a sixth member and take over the band".

[33] Throughout the album, he sang with a falsetto, leading to comparisons of Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner[34] and Curtis Mayfield,[32][34] which was a shift away from the Bob Dylan tone that he used on Us and Us Only.

[32] In a contemporary interview, Burgess explained that he was not "consciously looking for new influences" and that "when the sun's shining [in Los Angeles,] you want to make music that's appropriate.

"[35] In his autobiography Telling Stories (2012), he said that he found a copy of Mayfield's Back to the World (1973) in his wife's collection but was otherwise unaware of his other music outside of the Impressions and Super Fly (1972).

[50] In "I Just Can't Get Over Losing You", Pitchfork contributor Joe Tangari wrote that Collins entwines "dozens of little stuttering passages through the mix, vying with Rogers for control of the harmonic and countermelodic space".

[44] "And If I Fall", which was initially named "California" for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of Blunt,[10] shares the same haunting atmosphere as "Every Breath You Take" (1983) by the Police.

[53] Rogers and Spencer added a chorus section that angered Burgess;[54] the latter's talking in the song was influenced by Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners.

[65] In July and August 2001, the band played a handful of US shows[67] with support from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,[25] leading up to an appearance at the Witnness festival in Ireland.

Universal's marketing director, Jason Iley, said, "There is no nudity and, if people look closely, they will see the man's image is actually projected onto the woman's body.

[77] From late August until early September 2001, the band hosted club nights where people would listen to the entire album ahead of its release.

Following a supporting slot for Stereophonics at Slane Castle in Dublin, Ireland, in August 2002, the band played three club shows to round out the month.

[32] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that the music was "very heavy on groove and texture, a move that's strangely" aided by Burgess' "unexpected reliance on a falsetto".

[114] Blender's Johnny Black said that alongside the "grooves, the songs boast actual tunes and choruses, featuring an unexpectedly soulful swagger in the guitar rhythms".

[44] RTÉ.ie writer Luke McManus said apart from a few dudes, namely "Right On" and "Love to You", the album was the "overall result is the sound of a band waking up to produce their best work in years".

[33] Jon Monks of Stylus Magazine said after "A Man Needs to be Told", the album loses "steam and becomes more a melting pot of tunes that feel rushed and generally of a lower calibre than the top heavy first half".

Club's Josh Modell was more dismissive, stating that the rare occasions on the album that "make sense in the context of the band's history are overshadowed by a musical reach that exceeds its grasp.

[44] Wade said the falsetto improved some songs, such as "I Just Can't Get Over Losing You" and "Wake Up", as they were "lifted into more confident, free and funkier dimensions",[34] which Alix Buscovic of Playlouder agreed on the former track.

[115] Under the Radar writer Mark Redfern admitted that the falsetto took a period of getting used to, as it was "once embarrassing and bold," but now "this new approach signals a definitive change of direction for the band".

"[118] Now's Matt Galloway suggested that the remainder of the band should have mentioned to Burgess that "warbling in a ridiculous falsetto throughout much of Wonderland wasn't such a good idea.