How do you make the image of a black hole positive? According to Elizabeth McCullough, aka Alpha Cat, "When I wrote that song I'd just read how astronomers had determined that you could actually escape a black hole, but only by going all the way through and out the other side. And that leads to worm hole and time travel theory, where not only do you avoid annihilation, but arrive at a place you might never have reached otherwise. An amazing metaphor for transformation, and ultimately hopeful. Recording began on the album Venus Smile in April 2006. Several tracks were completed, with the help of guitarist Doug Pettibone, bassist Reggie McBride, and drummer Jason Smith. But by July, McCullough fell into a real life black hole, losing her voice and experiencing a profound emotional and psychological breakdown. She was unable to complete the record. Later McCullough decided to revisit Venus Smile. She enlisted engineer Brett Thorngren to mix the songs, with encouraging results. As it turned out, she had found a new champion in Thorngren. But it wasn’t until early 2019, with newfound clarity and the retreat of long held fears, that she listened to those mixes anew, and began to realize that maybe there was something in this music. In early June, McCullough decided to put those songs out, the result: Thatched Roof Glass House. At long last, her journey through the worm hole seems to be complete.