Producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Cleaves teamed up for the third time in early 2022 between Covid surges to record a new batch of songs, Slaid's first in five years. Familiar themes of struggle and resilience will be a surprise to no one. As Scrappy puts it, 'This album speaks to the hopeful, the hard working, the battered, confused, and the sad. But above all to the believers in the city of freedom that we heard in the stories of our youth and all those FM radio hits.' The first single, 'Through the Dark', was co-written with Slaid's long-time collaborator and life-long friend, Rod Picott ('Broke Down', 'Take Home Pay'). Slaid describes it simply as 'a song about offering comfort in hard times'.