XTC was an English rock band that was active from 1972 until 2006. Members include lead songwiters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. XTC gained popularity during the 1970s in the midst of the punk and new wave rise. While they attract more of a cult following than mainstream audience, they did have a told of 18 records in the UK top 40. Their best known album is Skylarking.

Go 2 was the second studio album released by XTC in October of 1978. The album's title is a reference to the board game "Go." The cover was designed by Hipgnosis, an English art group that specialized in cover art for rock bands. Their clients include Pink Floud, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC among others. The album cover featurs an essay about how album covers are meant to attract buyers. This differed from their clasically photography-based album covers. Hipgnosis was well know for their quirky humour as well as pioneering of innovated visual texhniques, such as multiple exposures, airbrushing, and cutting and pasting. They also often told stories through their album covers, utilizing puns and doulbe meanings.