Powell wrote and produced "4.44", recording it with Michael Feuerstack (who plays bass, pedal steel, engineered, and mixed) and Michael Belyea (drums and percussion) in a cabin in rural Harrington, Quebec.

Powell says the song was originally titled “Harmonic Nation” and was one of the first songs recorded at the cabin. “It felt so good to finally be playing live in a cosy space with good pals in the dead of an especially lonely winter,” they said. The lyrics were improvised in the studio after Powell's experience reading misleading comments online about their personal and professional life. It reminded them how they had come to accept false narratives surrounding Land of Talk: “For a while I was questioning if I even knew my own story, my own lived experience.”

The record is Land of Talk’s follow up to 2023’s . In the time since, Powell became worn down by the music industry and concerned for their ageing parents. “Life can become so unbearable, and music is where I go to metabolise it,” they explain. “I know the music was the only thing that was going to help me.”

is haunted by climate collapse, political upheaval, and genocide, but Powell also includes themes of sexual abuse and grooming in the music industry, the mortality of their parents, and their identity as a non-binary person.

Land of Talk was formed by Powell in 2006, releasing two albums in 2008 and 2010 before a hiatus necessitated by vocal cord issues and caring responsibilities. Powell revived the project in 2015, releasing records in 2017, 2020, and 2023. All have been released or co-released by Saddle Creek, home to feeble little horse, Ada Lea, and Rilo Kiley.

“Broken Tongue”
“Saffron”
“4:44”
“Dogs”
“Cats”
“Projections”
“Cedars”
“Lasts”