Allen had produced with indie musicians before, previously lending his expertise to lauded records such as experimental pop quartet Animal Collective's influential Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) and art rock quintet Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest (2010).

The final product would don a bedroom pop aesthetic that would "stand out from its lo-fi peers thanks to a sense of wide-eyed adventure.

"[10] With Bughouse, Powers' sonic palette would expand to yield "a dense tapestry of swirling overdubs and warped psychedelia," "much grander and more ambitious than its predecessor.

"[5] The "brilliantly grandiose"[3] "Mute" is "a strongly psychedelic, deranged rainbow puke of a song,"[11] on which Powers' vocals "have never sounded so soaring and confident.

"[5] Third track "Attic Doctor" features a "calliope-like melody",[12] recalling "the darker VHS carnvial sound of Ariel Pink.