“Playing Pretend” is a tribute to a year and a half of creativity and play—the time when my dreams of playing in a band and producing music were happily realized. Comprising mainly short instrumental tracks, this album evokes imaginative scenes and elicits moods that run the gamut from anxiety to play, from fatigue to joy.

World Without End

Mark Tracy is a Boston-based artist and guitarist for State of Nature. He appears as lead guitarist on Tabula Rasa, State of Nature’s second studio album. He is also the biggest fan of State of Nature’s previous work, including their singles Pink and Orange, Stardust Hotel, and Nirvana With Cash; as well as their first album, Social Contract, which features perhaps their greatest hit, GHC.

Mark has also produced and released music on his own, including episodes, an EP about his struggles with bipolar disorder, featuring hit songs Coming Down and Through the Garden; as well as numerous singles, including Life Unlaced, a song about his wife Catherine; Alpine Photographs, a cozy wintry song written with Steve Tracy, his brother and co-lead guitarist for State of Nature; and So It Should Be (Hymn for a New America), which mourns the second election of Donald Trump.

Mark’s most recent work includes Activate, a song intended to trigger positivity and a can-do attitude; and It's Always Been Today, which calls for connection in an increasingly isolated world.