For Twinsmith, the occasion to make a third album came with an opportunity to distill their process down to its essential parts, and to re-focus the band’s perspective in order to fully embrace their sound. Longtime friends Smith and Regner had written a pair of records as Twinsmith, starting with 2013’s self-titled debut and then 2015’s Alligator Years – which earned press attention from outlets including NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, Interview, NYLON (‘Band Crush’), and Culture Collide, among others. While the lineup would grow to include bassist Sharp and other hired guns to round out the stage, the songwriting core learned to vary their approach while relying on each other to push the plot forward. Starting as DIY tinkerers in a basement, Smith and Regner would evolve their sound from hazy surf rock to a fuller, more dynamic guitar-and-keys pop appeal, making good use of the perks like recording studios and engineers that often come with progress. But as it came time to begin again for a new album, they found themselves looking back to the beginning, stripping back their process and recording in the dining room of their house using old synths and ‘80s drum machines.