Like After the Fire, the album released just a week prior to this October 2019 LP, The Wanting is lean and low-key, a record that doesn't push its themes or sounds too hard. The difference between the two albums lies in this: where Jinks took the time to lighten the mood on After the Fire, he does the opposite on The Wanting. The album is filled with moments where he looks deep inside his soul, concluding that "There's a black and a white wolf in me," on "Which One I Feed." This image provides the inspiration for the cover art, which looks like it could've been spray painted on a van in the 1970s, and that's not too far off from how The Wanting sounds and feels: perhaps Jinks has his tongue somewhat in cheek, but all the old outlaw signifiers are presented as sincere. That slight hint of self-awareness helps give The Wanting a lightness during its songs of alcoholism, loneliness, and lost love, a lightness that helps make the record a balm during tough times.