vocals to "I'll Let You Live," and Brian Gardner mastered the recordings at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, California. The group released behind-the-scenes studio clips, often with snippets of new songs. Music and lyrics Lazzara said that Taking Back Sunday was "starting to grow up," no longer writing songs about being in high school and realizing that they "have to be an adult about some things." According to Mascherino, the group wanted to create something "timeless" to stand out from their peers; they "didn’t want to just do the formula," and used piano, xylophone and strings. Alternative Press noted that Louder Now had a "much more full sound, much more tight" than Where You Want to Be. MTV called the album "a big, ballsy, monster of a rock record," and its title affirms that it is a rock record. The album's sound has been described as alternative rock, emo pop, pop punk and emo. "What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" is, according to Lazzara, about a "pre-pre-midlife crisis." Mascherino said that the song "charges forward," never letting "up and fully rocks the entire time." Rubano called the opening guitar riff "not quite 'Paradise City', but it's a guitar riff where when we first came up with it, we were like, 'Whoa! Rock! He thought that "Liar (It Takes One to Know One)" sounded like a modern equivalent of the Police. Lazzara called the song "110 miles-per-hour, very hard to play and totally rocking," and Mascherino considered it and "Spin" the group's fastest songs ever. "MakeDamnSure" has a phone message in the bridge; Lazzara and his girlfriend were arguing at the time, and she left him a message. Lazzara showed it to Valentine, wanting to include it in the song. According to Mascherino, "MakeDamnSure" received the greatest group effort of the album's songs. "Up Against (Blackout)", a track with a time signature of 6/8, was compared to Mascherino's former band Breaking Pangaea. The intro to "My Blue Heaven" was reminiscent of "Wounded" by Third Eye Blind; the lyrics during the chorus were taken from "Wedding Dress" by Breaking Pangaea. For "Twenty-Twenty Surgery" Lazzara had several lyrics and melodies, "but nothing was working and it was the most frustrating thing"; its chorus was the album's final composition. Mascherino called "Spin" "this album's 'The Union', but on steroids", drawing a comparison to Circa Survive. The acoustic ballad "Divine Intervention" recalled the