West

Phil Manley of Trans Am engineered at Lucky Cat in six sessions, and Stereogum calls him the producer. Sonic Boom mastered it at Blanker Unisinn in Brooklyn, with Heba Kadry adding mastering at the Lodge, though The Quietus and Beat describe Sonic Boom as sole master. The Quietus says "Rising" was recorded entirely backwards. A press release described its subject as the American West and the mythology, romanticism and idealism it embodies. Johnson told Beat there is a loose concept behind it but it is not a rock opera, linked to his move from San Francisco to Colorado, moving west to the old west. The release date varies: August 15 to 16 in some sources, September 2 on Bandcamp and September 13 on others.

Drowned in Sound gave it 8 of 10, NME 8 and PopMatters 7. Exclaim! heard a clean, crisp sound, as opposed to the usual monolithic wall of fuzz, and The Quietus wrote that this is still Wooden Shjips as we know and love them, but even more so.