In November 2013, Howling Bells recorded "Heartstrings" at Assault & Battery Studios, in London. The album was primarily produced by Marks, but Moulder supported the effort and was given credit as co-producer. Marks set the tone of the environment in the recording studio and the band felt extremely open and comfortable in her presence. Her female nature was credited with her ability to elicit exceptional performances from the band, more so than any of her record producer counterparts who worked with Howling Bells previously. The band moved on from former label Cooking Vinyl and established a partnership with Birthday Records, a small, independent record label founded by former Kaiser Chiefs drummer, Nick Hodgson.