The band relocated to London to begin recording the new album in January 2011, where they received production help from Andrew Weatherall. In an interview with "The Journal", Graham stated that Weatherall was initially slated to produce the album, but instead provided the band with assistance throughout the recording process and gave the band reassurance in their direction. The Twilight Sad also borrowed vintage analog synthesizers from producer Ben Hillier and Tape Studios in Edinburgh, which provide the core sounds on "No One Can Ever Know". In late January 2012, an exclusive interview with James Graham by webzine "This Is Fake DIY" appeared online, with Graham providing details for each song on the album. Graham stated that the tracks "Dead City" and "Kill It in the Morning" came from the same demo sessions, which were the last tracks written for the album. "Sick", "Not Sleeping", "Don't Move", and "Don't Look at Me" were among the first songs written for the album, with the latter two acting as a two-part narrative. "Another Bed" was the very first song the band wrote, following the recording of previous album, "Forget the Night Ahead". The song caused debate among the band, as it was initially intended to be a B-side. Graham elaborated, "Sometimes a song that you don't think will be on the album turns into something completely different when you record it in the studio... It's probably the closest thing we've ever had to a proper single, although this album is meant to be listened to as a whole and 'Another Bed' is a chapter in the overall theme of the record. It's strange how a song that wasn't going to be on the album is now a single, that's just the way things work out sometimes. I'm glad we decided to have it on the record." Regarding the album's lyrical content, Graham noted, "It's definitely not a happy album, put it that way. I mean, the themes of the record are kind of tied in with the title – so I'm not going to tell anyone what they're about. I kind of wanted the whole thing to be a story." The album's title comes from a lyric in the song "Dead City". "No One Can Ever Know" was met with highly positive reviews and was featured in many year-end best-of lists of music magazines. In an early preview album review, online website "The Blue Walrus" noted comparisons to Manic Street Preachers' "The Holy Bible" and Nine Inch Nails' "The Downward Spiral", and finalised that "Some people may think that they know what to expect with a new Twilight Sad record, but if you thought you knew this band, you're in for the shock of your life.