The band returned to the studio shortly after the release of their debut effort,
Thinking It Over, and began by recording a collaboration with producer
Richard X – a mash-up of classic tracks "
Being Boiled" and "
Ain't Nobody", entitled "Being Nobody". As well as being released to promote the band's new album, it also served as the lead single from
Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. For their second studio effort, the band teamed up with producers
Lucas Secon and Mike Peden, as well as allowing band member Tony Lundon to produce three tracks, one of which he solely wrote. "
Being Nobody" was released as the album's lead single on 24 March 2003. "
Jumpin", a track produced and co-written by Secon, was released as the album's second single over six months later, on 12 October 2003. The album was released in Japan a week later on 18 October. The Japanese edition of the album features an alternative, white picture cover, and includes three additional tracks – "
Just a Little", as the track remained previously unreleased in Japan, brand new Japanese exclusive track "Willing to Try" and the music video for "Jumpin'". "
Everybody Cries" was released as the album's third single on 12 January 2004. In the midst of
Being Somebodys promotion, the band released a cover of "
Fresh" in collaboration with
Kool & The Gang, which released the song originally. The song was recorded for their compilation album,
The Hits: Reloaded. It was later released as a single on 14 April 2004, exclusively in France, Germany and Spain. "I'll Be Remembering" was planned as the equivalent single release to Fresh in the United Kingdom, however, by this time, the band's record contract with
V2 Records had been terminated, and the single's release was cancelled, leaving "Fresh" as an internationally exclusive single. The Japanese version of
Being Somebody also uses an alternative version of the track "Whatcha Doin' Tonight", which also carries a slightly different title, "(Tell Me) What You're Doing Tonight". This version was originally recorded during the recording sessions for
Thinking It Over. Four songs that failed to make the final cut of
Being Somebody, "Bump & Grind", "Get Away", "Press Rewind" and "Wilder", were leaked to YouTube in April 2010. These tracks were also reportedly being considered for inclusion on the band's third V2 project, before they were dropped from the label. Several additional tracks from the album sessions were also released as B-sides: "Enemy", "Sunshine", "It Helps" and "Shake It". ==Critical reception==