On October 9, 2018, Girlpool released the double single "Lucy's" and "Where You Sink", their first release to feature Tucker singing much deeper than he did previously due to taking testosterone.[2] On November 13, the band released the single "Hire", and announced What Chaos Is Imaginary.[3] Girlpool toured the United States in April and May 2019 to promote the album.[4]
What Chaos Is Imaginary received a weighted score of 74 out of 100 from review aggregate website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 19 reviews from music critics.[5] Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork said about the album, "Weaving in and out of concrete, direct, indie-rock songwriting and meditative, impressionistic dream pop, the record takes up more space than any of Girlpool’s previous music."[12]