based on a few different people. I wanted to make it a little more cinematic" than their past works. He took inspiration from the material of Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen: "I always refer back to those three particular people when it comes to just singing about normal people with normal problems". Fiorello mentioned that a majority of the album deals "economics and social-ness of small towns" in Europe and the US, as well as the "middle class that's shrinking because of how the economy is". Scott Klopfenstein of Reel Big Fish provided trumpet parts on the album, while Neil Hennessy of the Lawrence Arms contributed percussion. Tracks GNV FLA opens with "City of Gainesville", a reggae track that recalls the work of Sublime, and is followed by the up-tempo ska song "The State of Florida", which talks about Florida sinking into the ocean. "Does the Lion City Still Roar?", which was released ahead of the rest of the album, showed a reversal to the band's sound at the time. They had toned down the ska parts of their sound in favor of a basic rock approach since their fifth studio album, Anthem (2003). "Summon Monsters" is a socially satirical track with elements of punk rock that tackles kids and drugs. It includes a spoken-word portion from a friend of the band's. "Abandon Ship" is introspective grunge song with an uplifting chorus section. "Handshake Meet Pokerface" discusses a single mother trying to do anything for her children. Discussing the title, Fiorello said: "You're shaking someone's hand and you're smiling but that smile's your poker face". "Settling Son" features metal guitar riffs in the style of Avenged Sevenfold. "Malachi Richter's Liquor's Quicker" talks about Malachi Richter, a person that self-immolate as a protest against the Iraq War. Fiorello said: "it has everything to do with being at the end of your rope and thinking that the only thing you can do is fucking light yourself on fire to end it all". It features morse code because of a sample the band had included in the track, which translates to "We may lose hope but there's always hope", which was Richter's mission statement. "Golden Age of My Negative Ways" and "The Space They Can't Touch" are two ska songs, the latter of which evokes Panic! at the Disco during the chorus section. "The Life of the Party Has Left the