In 2023, Yacina began working with Rostam Batmanglij to co-produce 2 songs written the previous year. While Trick of the Light is written about the role of imagination in relationships; Nothing Lasts was written after Yacina read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, inspired by Butler's idea of God being changed. The songs took shape separately over the span of a year, and ultimately complemented one another which resulted in this release.