This song is a re-envisioning of Critical Decay, released on the Conditions EP (skeletonscreen.bandcamp.com/album/conditions)

Initially, I simply intended to re-record this track with higher-quality / more fleshed-out guitar recordings. As I began recording the guitars again, new ideas starting flowing. I followed that flow, and here we are; essentially a new track, but with the same excellent lyrics by Chris Steele (aka Time thisistime.bandcamp.com).

The drums were also re-recorded in full by the infinitely talented Adam Soucy (Major Moment, www.adamsoucy.com).

Additionally, the new vocals are accompanied by Paradigm Dreamspace (www.instagram.com/paradigmdreamspace/). If you are unfamiliar, seriously take the time to read some of his work.

This track was mixed and mastered by Ben Romsdahl at Juggernaut Audio (Primitive Man, Of Feather And Bone, etc, www.juggernautaudio.net).

Art and design by the gorgeous and talented Aubry Aragon (www.flickr.com/photos/aubryaragonart/)

It's seriously a privilege to be able to work with these insanely talented people. I'm looking forward to what comes next <3

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The desperate anxiety of abandonment; the anger and disdain toward those whom you once trusted; the depression resulting from the crushing weight of loss.

Unconditional love is a fabrication. There is not, and will never be, such a thing. Despite being born with hearts full of love, the ideological divide prevalent in all aspects of life, drilled into our minds constantly by the media, political, and religious figures and institutions, tears the ability to truly love from us until all that is left is resentment and decay.

This cold, empty void binds us together.

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Relentless Decline

We are our own noose. We are the trees from which we hang. Sometimes we know we are following a destructive course, and we know that it cannot last, but we simply do not change course. There are plenty of opportunities to adjust, but the path of least resistance has a sort of toxic, mesmerizing comfort. If we're not careful; if we give in and stay static; we will tear ourselves down until piece by piece until we find, again, that cold, yet familiar sense of loss we all try to avoid.

My broom won't sweep
Unclean it keeps
Here just under six deep
An entity follows me
And keeps me where I'd not be

This wasteland that I've come to know
Fragile lives and broken homes
Fracturing, our hearts indisposed
Drained and weakened, wasted souls

Burdening boughs
We silently testify
I am the noose
Holding the weight of forgotten sons
In this place of beauty
These dreadful memories
The utmost abuse
Clandestine truths

Composition, guitars, bass, synths, and vocals by Mark Johnston
soundcloud.com/mark-johnston

Drums by Adam Soucy
www.facebook.com/adamgsoucy

Lyrics inspired by Jason Compo
soundcloud.com/etre-perdu

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Kyle Jones at Sleeping Brotherhood Studios
www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-jones-27114514/

Conditions

Presages

The desperate anxiety of abandonment; the anger and disdain toward those whom you once trusted; the depression resulting from the crushing weight of loss.

Conditional love is a fabrication. There is not, and will never be, such a thing. Despite being born with hearts full of love, the ideological divide prevalent in all aspects of life, drilled into our minds constantly by the media, political, and religious figures, tears the ability to truly love from us until all that is left is resentment and decay.

This cold, empty void binds us together.

Petrified tears cut like glass in my throat
Held it all in until my eyes capsized

Your words were lifeboats
I drowned in my bath of lies
On the past I'm choking
The pain is all so memorized

Branded with guilt
Shadows approach
The crows form a cloud and collide
The reaper's evoked
The rage is so pressurized

He speaks, but all I see is smoke; his dialogue I despise
I'm all alone; it's me that spoke
Reality's a compromise

I laugh it off with a joke
Paranoia is a spy
Dopamine I try to provoke
My serotonin's in disguise
I wear a reflective cloak
So Medusa's gaze won't paralyze
Inside the fog I search for hope
Will this virus be sterilized?

Composition, guitars, bass, and vocals by Mark Johnston
soundcloud.com/mark-johnston

Drums by Adam Soucy
www.facebook.com/adamgsoucy

Lyrics by Chris Sleele
soundcloud.com/timeraps

Mixed and mastered by Kyle Jones at Sleeping Brotherhood Studios
www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-jones-27114514/

Critical Decay

We adapt to change. No matter the path these changes take, we inevitably acclimate to a new "normal". After painful or traumatic events, when we are left with scarring; emotional, psychological, or physical, what does this new "normal" mean for us? Do we accept it willingly, or fight to establish our destinies with our own hands?

The hurt is less painful than trying
I would be lying if I said
The hurt is less painful than leaving
My mind is fleeing time once again

I don’t want to lie no more
I wish you wouldn’t cry anymore

I’ve become a shadow hidden in the dark
Slowly exposing my good side only
When my wounds begin to show
That’s when they’ll finally begin to close

The seeds that I sow
Stitch the seams of that which aren’t yet sewn
As they build up a palace from my past sadness
Uncover whats hidden under the callus

I won't have to lie anymore
This fear will not survive anymore

Lead me out
Out of the dark
All it takes is a spark
A light in the dark

Composition, guitars, bass, and vocals by Mark Johnston
soundcloud.com/mark-johnston

Drums by Adam Soucy
www.facebook.com/adamgsoucy

Lyrics by Lukas Magyar
www.facebook.com/lukas.magyar

Mixed and mastered by Kyle Jones at Sleeping Brotherhood Studios
www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-jones-27114514/

Recorded in part by Chris Mars at Modern Art Rock Studios

Acclimation Glare

Bandcamp: https://skeletonscreen.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skelescreen
Personal: https://soundcloud.com/mark-johnston

Skeleton Screen

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