resulting from the recession. People are poor and struggling." He cited North Hollywood's "blue-collar aesthetic" as an inspiration for the songwriting: "It's kind of stepchild, not just to Hollywood but Studio City and Sherman Oaks. North Hollywood isn't particularly small, but it doesn't carry the same weight as the other places around it." Greg Kot calls Hunt's compositions "frisky and playful", and writes that most of the album's lyrical setting is North Hollywood "in decline, populated with hustlers, two-timers ... Money is tight and girlfriends are fickle. Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times comments that much of the album "deals with economic difficulties and its effect on self-identity and love", and writes of its North Hollywood theme, "Songs about or set in Los Angeles aren't a rarity. Yet amid the glamour, the noir and the inner-city grit lies plenty of unexplored territory. Van Hunt spends a significant portion of [the album] traversing it." Of Hunt's perspective on the album, Martens writes that "[his] idea of beauty may be somewhat twisted ... informed by artistic roadblocks and career rejection". The opening track "North Hollywood" is an affectionate ode to Hunt's community at the time. Its lyrics portray the district as the "crown jewel of saboteurs" and reference its population of misfits and low-lifes, including evicting landlords and conniving starlets. The song features abrasive funk, distorted guitar, and a heavy beat. "Watching You Go Crazy Is Driving Me Insane" features a melodic punk and garage rock style, with dark humor in its lyrics. It is about a couple whose financial difficulties affect their relationship. "Designer Jeans" features lyrics with psychedelic musings on the contemporary social climate, including criticism of "mass production and consumption of opinions" and the erasure of independent thought. "Plum" is an ode to a lover's posterior. "Falls (Violet)" is a ballad with a sketchy country music feel. Its narrator expresses support to a woman he is infatuated with as she dates someone else. "Moving Targets" is a bedroom ballad with sparse, 1980s-styled percussion and an Isley Brothers influence. Its lyrics use warfare imagery in detailing a romance. "Eyes Like Pearls" features hard rock guitar and earnest, romantic lyrics, which Hunt explained to The Huffington Post: "It's a very passionate love, one that's rarely known in one's life. They're obviously tears of joy, but it's a passion beyond anything I've ever known. It's a relationship where somebody understands me