"Slap-Happy" is the follow-up to L7's 1997 album '. Like its predecessors, "The Beauty Process" was released by Slash Records in collaboration with Reprise, a major record label owned by the Warner Music Group. After the release of "The Beauty Process", bassist Gail Greenwood, who replaced founding member Jennifer Finch in 1996, left the band due to uncoordinated schedules; Greenwood was rooted in Rhode Island, while L7 was based in Los Angeles, California. L7 would then continue as a trio formed by founding members Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, and longtime drummer Demetra Plakas. In 1998, the band released a live album, ', through the independent record label Man's Ruin Records.