Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

Simpson told American Songwriter in July 2014 that recording and mixing took five and a half days for about 4,000 dollars, and that about 70 percent of the album had been written and not played for the band until they got in the studio; Holler says the band played live to tape over about four days. Dave Cobb produced and engineered, and plays classical guitar and percussion. Laur Joamets plays electric and slide guitar, Kevin Black bass, Miles Miller drums and Mike Webb keyboards and mellotron. "The Promise" is a cover of When in Rome, and "Long White Line" is by Buford Abner. A hidden track, "Panbowl", follows "It Ain't All Flowers". Simpson described it to NPR's Ann Powers as a social consciousness concept album disguised as a country record.

It reached 59 on the Billboard 200 and 8 on Top Country Albums, sold about 5,500 in its first week and 228,600 by January 2017, and is RIAA Gold. Metacritic gave 81; AllMusic gave five stars, Pitchfork 7.7 and Uncut 8 of 10. It was nominated for the Grammy for Best Americana Album in 2015 and Rolling Stone ranked it 18th among 2014's albums. Singles were "Living the Dream", "Turtles All the Way Down" and "The Promise". Loose Music's Tom Bridgewater called it obviously a game-changer of a record, and Holler credits it with shifting mainstream country and influencing Tyler Childers, Margo Price and Kacey Musgraves.