The band brought in Youth to produce, having had good experiences with his production on singles All You Good Good People and Come Back to What You Know from their first album, "The Good Will Out". Most of the band were excited about the effect that bringing new leadership into the studio was having on their music, but Danny McNamara, the band's lead singer, had a tough time adjusting to Youth's production style: "January, February and March this year were the hardest time of my life. I was getting four hours sleep a night. Every morning I'd get up and have to take a pill just to stay calm that day. The amount of arguments and throwing shit...It was really intense." Youth changed McNamara's song structures, his lyrics, and pushed him to sing with more emotion. Said McNamara: "There were times I hated him. I'd ring our manager and have meetings with the label, where I'd say, 'Look, can you tell him who's boss? 'Cause he's not listening to me.'" Thankfully, the label kept its position that Youth was in charge, because gradually, things started to click between the band and its producer. McNamara eventually changed his tune, saying, "I think I've grown as a person...the idea of relinquishing control and just having a bit of belief and faith in someone else is new to me in my thirty-three years. And it's paid off. I've left my ego at the door." Several songs began to take shape and sound that had previously eluded the band.