Following on from "Time of Rebirth" and "Blank Walls", this was The Observatory's third album in four years. The band was influenced by Soft Machine, This Heat, Tortoise, Talk Talk, Supersilent, Brian Wilson, Robert Wyatt, Nick Drake and Jaga Jazzist, whom The Observatory opened up for at the Mosaic Music Festival in 2007, amongst others. The album was described by the band as "a rich and imaginative musical vision, on which vocalist-guitarist Leslie Low builds his pensive, tender yet elliptical song-craft. The adventurous and epic exist in perfect tandem with restraint and intricacy. Exploring an ocean of sound and emotion, "A Far Cry From Here" should strike a chord with fans of experimental and progressive-minded classics such as Radiohead's "OK Computer", Talk Talk's "Spirit of Eden" and Wilco's "A Ghost Is Born"." Unlike the process on "Time of Rebirth" and "Blank Walls", where the band built on frontman Leslie Low's arrangements, each band member contributed ideas for songs on "A Far Cry From Here".