Casey Rice described the initial sessions at Idful Studios in Chicago as subject to many distractions, such as "the phone ringing, people dropping by the studio, and so on". Phair wanted to move recording to New York City, but due to financial constraints, the band ended up continuing with Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas instead. The same team that worked on Guyville worked again on what would become Whip-Smart. The album was recorded and mixed by Brad Wood, with the assistance of Casey Rice. Wood characterized the recording process as very much spontaneous, saying that "[Liz would] bring in a song and we'd record the whole thing that day. I'd have to write a drum and bass part right on the spot." There was, however, pressure to improve on the sound of the previous record, to meet the expectations of Phair's newly formed fanbase. Liz Phair has described Whip-Smart as a chronicle of the beginning, middle and end of a relationship: "a rock fairy tale, from meeting the guy, falling for him, getting him and not getting him, going through the disillusionment period, saying 'Fuck it,' and leaving, coming back to it." Phair also described the sound of the album as more confident and playful – and less frustrated, tense, and sexual – than Exile in Guyville. Phair is credited, along with Matador Records' in-house art designer Mark Ohe, with the album's art and layout. The cover image incorporates a Soviet propaganda poster. The inner liner notes feature a series of Polaroid photographs taken by Phair herself. Reception Critical reception was generally favorable. Richie Unterberger of AllMusic states that "if there are flaws in this generally first-rate follow-up, they mostly arise in comparison with Guyville, a record of such unexpected impact that most anything Phair could have done may have been found lacking" and that "there's no question that Phair is a major songwriter and artist, but this album is more a solidification of her talents than a breakthrough statement." Whip-Smart debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 and spent 17 weeks on the charts. The lead single "Supernova" received somewhat heavy rotation on radio stations and the music video was aired on MTV. The song went on to hit No. 6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, "Supernova" introduced Phair to a new audience and still remains