The album was produced and mixed by Tristan Ivemy, who had previously mixed Love, Ire and Song, Rock & Roll and Campfire Punkrock. The album"s title is taken from William Shakespeare"s play, The Life and Death of King John, with Turner noting, "I knew that the album was, for the most part, about mortality, and about Englishness. Shakespeare seemed like a good place to go hunting for some pearls of wisdom, and with a little help from my friend Ben we came across this one, and it just seemed to fit the work really well" One of the major themes of the album is that of "English national identity," stating, "it"s something that I want to write songs about. I, quite self-consciously, want to make music that sounds English." NME described the release as "a fearless venture for an artist with something interesting to say.". Paste placed it at number 50 on their "Top 50 Albums of 2011" list.