Inspired by his time at sea, Pierszalowski began composing the songs on The Wind and the Swell during the summer of 2005, and named his band Port O'Brien after a now-abandoned cannery site where his parents met in the late '60s. The songs showcase the paradox between the band's ferocity and its tenderness. The male and female vocal counterpoint and the urgent rushes of instrumentation mid-song meet with the gentle strum of acoustic guitars and wistful imagery of the sea. These songs present music as a document of experience, shot through with pathos, imagination, enthusiasm, and warmth.