My debut EP, recorded in tandem with the remarkably talented voice of Russell Wagoner, demonstrates in part the empty terror that is existential nihilism; it is the epitome of the anti-solipsistic numbness that accompanies the realization of the enormity of the universe and the abrogating minuteness of the individual soul. "It All Falls Apart" was born out of the immutable fear that the vastness of the world could, at any unannounced moment, envelop, crush, and irreparably destroy the life of a thinking, breathing being--a fear that pervades the human experience and, in no small sense, defines it. Though the thought is a morbid one, it nonetheless can provide a glimmer of hope for those who seek it. While the universe is monstrous and pallid, the personal universe is not; we are defined by our relationships with one another in the tiny concentric circles of friends and family we form as a shell around us. In the midst of six billion humans on this planet--and probably vastly greater numbers of sentient beings spread throughout the cosmos as well--the individual seems microscopically insignificant. But to the fraction of the population that turns their attention to the life and times of another, the individual truly is not. Hell is other people; but, paradoxically, heaven is other people too. Others can lift us to the highest levels of pleasure, and we can each do the same for someone else. Kierkegaard said, "Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom." That crippling, fearful, existential angst that one discovers in the pit of their stomach is, with little metaphor, the first step towards true, unfettered liberty and equally the first step towards a nearly psychotic reverence for human life. This EP attempts, in its own feeble way, to encompass that sentiment. Written in a period of especially turbulent times for me, it is a cross-section of loss, addiction, and depression; equally, however, it is a story of budding love, personal revelation, and rebirth. "It All Falls Apart" is an apt title--for when it all falls apart, there is nothing left to do but pick up the pieces. And pick them up I shall. A special thanks to Russell Wagoner for his fantastic vocal performance, Taylor Nelms for the countless hours he spent engineering and mastering each track, Amanda Thompson for inspiration, and Nathan Neeley and Colleen Beagen for exceptional moral support. As it is, my friends, as it is. --Andy