Explosions in the Sky became involved with the project after receiving an email from producerBrian Reitzell that said "he was working on a new movie and he was wondering if [the band] would be interested in doing music for it." The members were familiar with the book on which the film was based, and were raised in its setting of West Texas. Despite having access to "all sorts of rare equipment", the band did not deviate from its usual songwriting style.[3] The prominent track "Your Hand in Mine" was adapted from the 2003 album The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place.
Some songs from the film, including "Your Hand In Mine," "Inside It All Feels the Same," "The Sky Above, the Field Below," "To West Texas," "A Slow Dance," "From West Texas," "An Ugly Fact of Life," and "Home" have been featured on the subsequent television show.[4]
A double vinyl version of the album was released exclusively through Hip-O Select records and was limited to only 2500 copies.
