Temperley revealed in a mid-September, pre-album release interview that the band felt "dusty" following the decreased popularity of "Ghosts of the Past". He explained, "We needed a third party to come in so we could just be a band" and stated that the band was motivated to hire producer Burke Reid after he admitted that he was not a fan of their music. Temperley also provided insight into the album's musical influences, citing Leonard Cohen and stating, "I always refer back to the sounds I have always loved and for me Beck and LCD Soundsystem are where it's at." Two synthesizers that belonged to Temperley, a Jupiter 4 and a Roland Compurhythm 100, were used during the entire recording process.