"TNT", Tortoise's third album, was written and recorded in 1997 over a period of 10 months. This unusually long writing and production time was deliberately chosen by the group in order to create a comprehensive, diverse and yet thematically coherent work. With a playing time of 65 minutes, "TNT" builds on the sparse, instrumental framework of the group's first, self-titled album and the extended arrangements, melodic adventures and timbres of the subsequent album Millions Now Living Will Never Die.

Furthermore, Tortoise's interest in the possibilities offered by remixing tracks translated into the actual production of "TNT"; individual elements, sections or sometimes entire compositions mutate within the shifting framework of the album. These techniques were appropriately realized through the use of non-linear digital recording and editing methods, among others - the group's first example of such work.