Sonic Youth have begun documenting their recording process via the ever popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter. The band discussed the album with Billboard saying:

When I started writing, I was immersed in listening to the Wipers,"'No Way,' the first song we recorded, has a total Wipers vibe, if the Wipers were a No Wave band. We're super inspired to make a fresh start. We're glad to be dealing with a label that loves songs. It's rock-centric, but still experimental. We're still Sonic Youth. I still don't know how to play the guitar.

The band released Rather Ripped in 2006. Since then, they've signed to Matador.