High Places began as an experiment in collaboration: two people with diverse artistic backgrounds coming together to merge their skills, aesthetic tastes, and music making approaches. Robert grew up listening to punk and hardcore, and Mary studied bassoon performance, but both gravitated toward a DIY compositional style and a love of layers. The album draws together dance rhythms, stereo effects, accessible melodies, dub influence, and as always, a love of layering and of combining the unexpected into something cohesive and new. The album's subject matter covers a wide range; from romantic relationships to overcoming addiction, aging, and finally death in the closing track "When It Comes."