Haunted Painting is the return to Sadie Dupuis' pop-oriented solo project Sad13. Previous releases include 2016's Slugger and a handful of tracks across compilations such as Adult Swim's Singles series. Since Slugger, Dupuis' other project Speedy Ortiz has released a new record and toured heavily and Dupuis has also published a poetry manuscript titled Mouthguard. It all finds Dupuis, already one of the sharpest lyricists of her generation, leveling up as an arranger and producer.

Drawing inspiration from 1980s British pop-rock à la Tracy Ullman and Joan Armatrading, as well as the contemporary digital gloss of post-PC Music electronica, she calls Haunted Painting 'decidedly non-minimal,' mixing technicolor synth-pop and math-rock dynamism. The first track from Haunted Painting, WTD?, was also featured as part of the Adult Swim Singles series.