Seattle shoegazers Blackpool Astronomy began as a side project of Jeff McCollough, formerly of the band Lapis. Their latest LP The Secret Language of a Nervous Breakdown is the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's Tripping the Mortal Coil. The band state the album title came from "the experiences gained thanks to a relentless online bullying that seems sadly so prevalent in social media" and also "the personal journey of the lyricist to a place of identity and safety where being non-binary felt safe enough to go farther."