Trust

The Attractions demoed at Eden Studios in September 1980 and recorded at DJM Studios in Holborn in October and November. Lowe and Roger Bechirian worked back and forth as producers, each taking charge of separate sessions. Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze and Martin Belmont of the Rumour guested on "From a Whisper to a Scream". Costello said some tracks borrowed from other acts of the day, including the Police on "Clubland", the Pretenders on "You'll Never Be a Man", XTC on "White Knuckles" and Squeeze on "Fish 'n' Chip Paper".

It reached number 9 in the UK and number 28 in the US. The lead single "Clubland" stalled at number 60 in the UK in December 1980, ending a run of nine consecutive top 40 singles. Costello was displeased with the album at first and changed his mind later. Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums placed it at number 708 in 2000, and Paste ranked it the 25th best album of the 1980s in 2020.