Rossdale also mentioned in an "NY Rock" interview that people would often have the clichéd idea that he is a dark, depressed person. To counteract this, he used the name "Golden State" because it sounded "warm and positive." Regarding the songs' positive theme, Rossdale noted "I'm far more relaxed and I guess that influenced the album quite a bit." The stripped down musical style was a result of the band practicing all the songs five weeks before recording. This voided the use of industrial elements as heard on "The Science of Things". And as a final test, Rossdale played the songs through a "shitty" car stereo to make sure they recorded well.