on may 27, 2017, digboston published an interview with the band's vocalist, jacob bannon, where he revealed that the band had eighteen songs already written and he stated that the album is "very powerful" and will be a "progression of something [they] did previously." on july 25, 2017, converge released the single "i can tell you about pain", accompanied by a video for the song, directed by tony wolski. the single also contained the non-album track “eve” as a b-side. on august 15, converge released the song "under duress" available for streaming, which was described by bannon as his "emotional reaction to the complex world in which we live". with the announcement of the song, the album's tracklist and cover art was revealed. the band toured in europe in august 2017 prior to the release. on september 27, the song “reptilian” was made available for streaming. the song "a single tear" was made available for streaming on october 31 and was also accompanied by a video, directed by max moore, described as "heavy with symbolism about parenthood and connection." "the dusk in us" was released through epitaph records and deathwish inc. on november 3, 2017.