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Natural, Everyday Degradation

by Remo Drive

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economics101
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economics101 i dont think i will ever hear an album that comes so far out of left field like this one but still raises the bar so fucking much Favorite track: Ezra and Marla.
robbymorgan
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robbymorgan This album is one hell of a follow-up to 'Greatest Hits', digging this a lot! Favorite track: Around the Sun.
aliss_blackout_hrt_bandits
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aliss_blackout_hrt_bandits "One hell of a follow-up" is an understatement. This rocks and I've only listened to it all the way through once so far so I can't say what my fave track is yet.
Ryan Bredeson
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Ryan Bredeson Remo Drive's second full length album grinds to the core of what they are trying to show: Natural, Everyday Degradation. Each song is filled with meaningful lyrics, and songs like Two Bux have riffs that continue to amaze me every time. Favorite track: The Grind.
joondkim
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joondkim "Rocks" is an understatement. This album is killer. It's definitely very different from their debut, but a good bit of the catchy melodies and progressions are very much Remo Drive, but with plenty of new taking up the mix. The instrumentation is friggin beautiful and stunning at times and I really enjoyed Erik's inflections on all of the tracks. Grit in places, playful in others, etc. I could go further with the step up in lyrics, or the tighter production, but I think you should just listen. Favorite track: Ezra and Marla.
Jacklawrence1824
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Jacklawrence1824 Very excellent album! Favorite track: The Devil.
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1.
Two Bux 02:38
God and I have never talked but I still play by her rules Lust and greed they freak me out but I see the allure Look over my shoulder as if sin even exists Moralistic musing in the gas station like “Two bucks, for the right protection for a few fucks. Maybe it’s worth it. Will my god that I never believed in be upset if I break a rule?” Never took you serious but your guilt still touches me It must be all that second hand faith rubbing off on me I always liked the music maybe that’s how they got to me Here I am all alone now thinking about how just “Two bucks, ooh they get me feeling like I’m fucked up. Maybe it’s worth it. Will my god that I still don’t believe in be upset if I break a rule?”
2.
The Grind 03:46
I was living in color; HD, flat screen, reclined Comfort and leather, but the picture got dimmer This year I could swear the water tasted way worse And I feel sick, the water tasted way worse I was living all over, point at a place on a map I was down to go there But if I’m being honest, I could feel the paper dulling up that shine I could hear the friction, I could feel the grind Because we’re falling out of love You were sporting some leather, over Meat is Murder It doesn’t get better, irony like that is reserved for the TV For the TV Are you on the TV? No, so take that shit away from me. You’re hung over, been up all night no light Is this your infinite summer? Dressed up like a king I feel resentment boiling in my blood I think it’s time that we give this shit up Because we’re falling out of love
3.
The Devil 04:00
The devil and angel on my shoulders are holding hands behind my back. Oh well, I can’t change how they feel. The absence of truth through their consummation was expected, but damn I hoped that making them bump would do something for relations. I think I made a mistake Because everything’s looking pretty great And it wasn’t perfect I could tell The white wallpaper slowly browned And as it peeled and fell to the ground The earth was exposed as itself Catching my mind in the strangest places, like visions of a temperate kind of hell. Amenities and drinks in frosted glass. The sun in my eyes and my heart so full, I can’t tell if it’s tight from fear or love. The mystery’s alluring and all, But I’d like to know how to feel. I think I made a mistake Because everything’s looking pretty great It feels like a lifetime on some different timeline I’m there; in my clothes, in my skin, on my phone, It’s me. None of my history, feels like a part of me or my life. But my feet touch the floor on the earth like before. The devil and angel on my shoulders are holding hands behind my back. Oh well, I can’t change how they feel.
4.
Shakin' 04:01
I think I heard you coming Rattled eyes touch the ceiling The walls were clapping as you sang for me An unintentional voyeur A visitor from younger years Reverberations through the drywall hang and scream Lustful in your breathing Explosions and soft screaming You shook me all night long I think I heard you coming Breathing hard and sharp inward Your calls came to me through the ventilation bleed I had just gotten here And I was completely unaware Of the soundtrack you would later play for me Lustful in your breathing Explosions and soft screaming You shook me all night long
5.
Dog 03:12
“Baby my dog hasn’t let me sleep in over a month,” I said. “Even while I speak to you its teeth dig into my flesh. I want to kiss you but my lips twist at the pain I’m in and I want to hold you but I just can’t get relaxed.” For every sigh in the cold night, exhaust rolls from the rusted pipe. Because I can’t stand another day of barking at the teeth who bite So I’m meeting with a stranger to buy a silver bullet And lay to rest this pest who’s tying knots inside my stomach Here it goes I knew that someday a shadow would go and show itself Casting its silhouette upon the pale skin of my love Puncturing the soft white neck And draining out the deep blood red It feeds at night upon the darkness in my mind. For every sigh in the cold night exhaust rolls from the rusted pipe. Because I can’t stand another day of barking at the teeth who bite So I’m meeting with a stranger to buy a silver bullet And lay to rest this pest who’s tying knots inside my stomach Here it goes Honey I’m sure you’re wearing thin watching my eyes grow distant I know “I love you” sounds more like a chant lately But I still mean it
6.
Separate Beds and separate bathrooms Separate floors, same foundation Separate lives, separate friends Separate hearts, and same creations Honey, we’ve got a good thing. Let’s keep our old love young. Desperate men, desperate women Restless wives, restless husbands Make their days, do the dishes Watch TV, and then fall asleep Honey, we’ve got a good thing. Let’s keep our old love young. Because nothing perfect lasts forever, nothing perfect lasts Perfect is more like the weather, it comes and then will pass. Honey, we’ve got a good thing. Let’s keep our old love young.
7.
Ezra and Marla went walking on the boardwalk Often they’re quiet, taking it all in in silence Their hands don’t feel the same today He noticed her grip gets looser now every day They’re back at home lying in bed He knows there’s something wrong but they’re still kissing Ezra and Marla go to work on Monday at nine o’clock Getting more distant, they hardly say a word but they’re still in this Their eyes now wander more than they used to The person at reception’s kind of cute They’re back at home lying naked There’s a job to do so they do it The silence says more than they ever did It’s pulling, the ropes on the rack tighten Where’s that smile? Where’s that kiss? Where’s the sound? Who muted it? I’m pretty sure this one wasn’t made so quiet No spark can start a fire without something to burn Ezra and Marla went walking for the last time as one
8.
Halos 04:22
Perhaps one’s indulgence strips their clothes away Lays them in a bed and keeps their pain at bay Wakes them up each morning to a smiling face Before they see its forked tongue flick between its fangs And I think you could be another Vegas star Cocaine in a limo near New York, New York To wake up with no sense of who or where you are Glitter in the drain every morning wash Next thing you know; you’re lost on a road that you do know The rings around the streetlights shine like halos And if they’re watching, the angels are certainly gawking Mouths agape at the extent you choose to test their patience No one means can hold you in for long enough It’s not particular the way you seek that rush The destination is not the fuel to the search Or else the regular visits would lift the curse Next thing you know; you’re lost on a road that you do know The rings around the streetlights shine like halos And if they’re watching, the angels are certainly gawking Mouths agape at the extent you choose to test their patience And seldom, when I hear you singing the night’s songs, do I feel a thing in my heart but sometimes I’ll tap in time. And often when the days are getting dark in the spaces I’ve been living I’ll reach out my fingers to your side. And seldom, when I hear you singing that night song, do I feel a thing in my heart but sometimes I’ll tap in time.
9.
I awoke in the cleanest bedsheets on earth In the dreaded morning the air felt like a curse Behind the counter with the drawer we organize the bills In the early of the morning, took the car for a fill What’s the date? I can’t remember. Spinning around the sun until we burn up. In the lines between traffic, familiar and clean. In the hands of the headrest, I nearly fell asleep. Constant push of conditioned air dries my face and skin. I got distracted just chewing on my pen. I took the ink all in. What’s the date? I can’t remember. Spinning around the sun until we burn up. You wouldn’t survive without dependence on something Drinks or big cigars Drugs prescribed or self-sought You wouldn’t survive without a way to pass the time Clothes or antique cars Songs once heard then forgot What’s the date? I can’t remember. Spinning around the sun until we burn up.
10.
Mirror 03:15
I woke up this morning with a tightness in my chest From a dream whose hands were wrapped around my neck No matter what my waking life has shown to be fact When I find space my going goes running straight back But in your arms I feel secure, like all my questions are of no concern I’ve been looking all around the grocery store For proof I am who I’ve been without question years before And it feels shallow because I know my heart is yours The answer bears no weight inside my chest until I’m forced But in your arms I feel secure, like all my questions are of no concern And I can’t see a mirror without wondering how the hell I ended up so caught up inside my head that I can’t get out. And I want to be honest with myself, but my permission still comes with doubt. How can a cynic find the truth if he can’t even find himself? And I can’t see a mirror without wondering how the hell I ended up so caught up inside my head that I can’t get out.
11.
The Truth 02:17
I don’t mind killing time, hang the clock at midnight see if I care I don’t mind darkness; I know the sun is just behind the curtain Burning up, burning up Ooh I’d love to blame it on the sun I don’t mind killing time, patience is a virtue of a strong mind I don’t mind darkness; I see it every night up in the sky Burning up, burning up Ooh I’d love to blame it on the sun When I’m with you I don’t feel like I’m running from the truth.

credits

released May 31, 2019

Natural, Everyday Degradation:
This record was written as an exploration of the drama in mundanity; the little things that make you say “this is not my beautiful house”. The moments that are a little too warped to be Kodak, and feel more surrealistic than photographic. We hope that you enjoy what we’ve made as much as we have enjoyed making it. Thank you for listening.

All lyrics by Erik Paulson
All music by Erik and Stephen Paulson
except
The Truth by Erik Paulson, Stephen Paulson, and Cameron Bartlett
Shakin by Erik Paulson, Stephen Paulson, and Kevan Larson

Recorded by Joe Reinhart at The Headroom in Philadelphia
Additional Recording by Peter Katis at Tarquin Studios and by us at our parents house.

Cover and back artwork by Pat Fox
Layout by Jason Link

Produced by Joe Reinhart and Erik Paulson
Mixed by Peter Katis at Tarquin in Bridgeport, CT
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, NJ

Remo Drive is Erik and Stephen Paulson

Erik Paulson: Guitar, Vocals, Synthesizer, Electric Piano, Upright Piano, Organ, and Auxiliary Percussion
Stephen Paulson: Bass Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano, and Organ
Sam Becht: Drums on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Braeden Keenan: Drums on tracks 2, 12
Shane Woods: Drums on tracks 3, 7, 9
Grant Whiteoak: Backing vocals on track 4
Lee Tran: Saxophone, Piano, and Electric Piano

We would like to thank our family, our friends, and our team; their continued love and support gives us the ability to continue to explore ourselves artistically and otherwise. We are so thankful to have them in our lives.

We would also like to thank Joe, Shane, Sam, Braeden, Lee, Grant, Peter, Greg, and everyone else who touched this album. We are so lucky to have had their help. This record would not have been possible without them.

Additional thanks to Whitney Smith

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