Following the release of ‘White Lies’, Mick and his band embarked on an extensive tour of Ireland, which Mick now acknowledges may have been overly prolonged. "The relentless schedule took a toll on our songwriting, resulting in a lack of originality due to the scarcity of time off," he admits.

Upon finally taking a break from touring, Mick entered the studio in Killarney with Tony O’Flaherty, but due to the limited number of songs prepared, only ‘Gone Forever’ made it onto the album. In January 2010, Mick and his band relocated to Wexford, setting up camp at Purple Crow Studios, where they worked tirelessly day and night. "Many of the songs were crafted during our stay at the studio-house managed by Donal Byrne," Mick explains. "Bassist Brian Hassett, guitarist Hugh Dillon, violinist Karen O’Doherty, singer Yvonne Daly, and drummer Christian Best all played crucial roles in shaping and refining the songs." This fruitful period yielded tracks such as ‘Heartless Man’, ‘Ships in the Night’, ‘Lead Me On, Up On That Hill’, ‘Nasty Weather’, ‘If I Go On’, and ‘Get That Gold’. Despite having close to thirty songs at this stage, there was still no indication of a completed album.