The album was recorded in late 2000 and early 2001 at Toast Recording Studios (a facility that previously housed the venerable Coast Recorders, utilized by the likes of
Nat King Cole,
John Coltrane and
Creedence Clearwater Revival) in
San Francisco. At that time, Young had trouble writing songs amid a difficult period in his marriage to then-wife
Pegi, which largely influenced the somber mood of the material that ensued. According to guitarist
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, "It felt like there was something wrong." In the middle of the tumultuous sessions, the group took a break to play their first shows in Brazil and Argentina; Sampedro claimed that when the reinvigorated band came back to the studio, everything "had a Latin feel." However, Young said he was not satisfied with the results and ultimately decided to abandon the sessions: "The songs of
Toast were so sad at the time that I couldn't put it out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place". The release failed to materialize, but in the following years Young would periodically talk about
Toast in interviews and articles on his website, as well as in his memoir
Special Deluxe. It was finally released on July 8, 2022, via Reprise Records on vinyl, CD and digitally. ==Track listing==