 While previous Fountains of Wayne albums saw lead singer Chris Collingwood and bassist Adam Schlesinger write songs separately then arrange them with the rest of the band, initial work on their fourth album saw them trying a new approach in which they wanted to get guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young more involved by jamming together at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York.While it yielded lots of ideas, it didn't result in any finished songs.In the end, "Strapped for Cash" was the only song developed from the Bearsville sessions, as the band reverted to their usual methods.