Conley's voice subsequently changed for In Reverie. Comparing the material to that of Stay What You Are, Conley described the songs as being "more harmonically intricate" as well as "more complicated melodically". He said that after getting into the Beatles following Stay What You Are, he learned "a bunch of complex chords", which influenced his creativity. Despite being credited to the band, Conley wrote all of the songs. Though, he said he was "nowhere near [a] dictator" and often enjoyed what parts the other members came up with. He added, whenever guitarist David Soloway came up with a part "it’s exactly the right thing; it’s more than I could have imagined." Musically, the album has been described as indie rock, melodic punk, pop and power pop. One day, Conley was playing guitar and came up with the opening riff for "Anywhere with You". The remainder of the song soon followed. Bassist Eben D'Amico said the track was originally titled "Cactus Stomp" before it had any lyrics. Conley said it talks about "longing for something better — for a feeling of peace or completeness". "What Went Wrong" was written nine to ten months before the group worked on the album. Conley did not think the track was worthy enough, until one morning when he woke up with the song in his head. The song is about a kid who is being strip-searched despite having done nothing wrong. "Driving in the Dark" is about searching for peace in the world and not in a person. Conley said "Rise" was about "looking around and seeing everyone else trying to buy this or that and thinking it's going to make them happy." Conley mentioned that reverie refers to being in a dreamlike state, and the title-track is about that: "...floating through life and trying to figure it all out ... transcending the things you get really pissed off about". "Morning in the Moonlight" talks about joy. "Monkey" is about filling up empty space with material possessions, despite said possessions still leaving you empty. Conley came up with the melody for "In My Waking Life" while at his mom's house. The track simply "appeared in my mind as if it were a cloud coming over the horizon." "She" is about being both confused and in love with the various aspects of life. Around the time the band toured with Weezer, Conley was suffering from Crohn's