Speaking about how pop music has turned out since The Script went on a hiatus after their last album No Sound Without Silence, Danny O’Donoghue said "If you take a listen to radio now, there aren’t too many bands - guitar, bass, drums, vocals. Everyone has some kind of production element." The album was announced as members of the band took time out with their families in Ireland after four studio albums since 2008. "Rain" was released as the first single from the album and their first new song since 2014. Explaining how the album title was decided, O'Donoghue said "It came from Mark's side... His seven-year-old came up to him one day and asked, 'Dad, what's terrorism?'" The album title was inspired by its song of the same name, which addresses terrorism and the need for harmony. He also mentioned how the album covers many topics. "Divided States of America", a song on the album was explained by O’Donoghue, who said "We were in America when Trump's inauguration was happening, and you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing how divided America was. The guy selling cigarettes could be a Democrat and the guy he's selling them to could be a Trump supporter."
Critical reception
Freedom Child received mixed to negative reviews from critics upon release. Matt Collar of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, stating that the album "is a vibrant, immediately engaging effort that finds them nicely balancing their various influences, from slick dance-pop to kinetic R&B and thoughtful, crowd-pleasing anthems." Eleanor of Live Arena also gave the album a positive review but with no score, stating that "the group's confident new sound, that strays away from the rock feel we're used to, strikes listeners with positivity and strength. It's worth a listen." Taelor Connell of The O'Colly, gave another positive review with no score, stating that "The Script's new sound combined with their strong message strike listeners with force." The album has had several negative reviews, however. These include Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times, who stated that "it's too long, but more importantly, it's emotionally hollow." Rick Pearson of London Evening Standard also gave the album a negative review, and said that "Truly, the road to musical hell is paved with good intentions." Another negative review came from Grace Weissend of The Observer, who said that "with no real breakout song and an album that altogether disappoints, it's unlikely that The Script will be adding this record to their hall of fame." Stephen White of The Last Mixed Tape gave the album a score of 2 out of 10, calling the album "an advert that will top the charts".
