nipiy is a Cree word for water. Many tracks contain references to issues affecting Indigenous Canadians; the album was largely inspired by the Idle No More movement. The track disappear references the disappearance of Indigenous people in Canada and Honduras, and was inspired by a 2013 lecture by Bertha Oliva, while Perch was written about addiction. open window is about the Residential School System and the Sixties Scoop, and features Cree-language spoken-word poetry from band member Kris Harper's parents. The Cree language can also be seen in song titles: the opening and closing tracks are named after kisiskâciwanisîpiy, the Cree word for the North Saskatchewan River, while the track ôtênaw, which discusses urbanization, is named after the Cree word for city. The album also features elements of Indigenous music, including the use of traditional instrumentation. Marek Tyler plays an elk-hide frame drum, a carved cedar log drum, and a pow-wow drum, gifted to him by Carey Newman, a Kwakwakaʼwakw and Coast Salish artist.
