Mount Eerie represents the latest evolution of Phil Elverum's musical vision. Formerly known as The Microphones, Phil changed his project's name to Mount Eerie while maintaining his subtle, lo-fi, and lyrically dense fuzz-folk aesthetic. Elverum explained this change in an 2003 interview with Discorder, asserting that "Mount Eerie is a new project. The Microphones was completed, or at least at a good stopping point. I did it because I am ready for new things. I am new."