Shortly after the release, Hosein was replaced by vocalist Alan Landsman, who ultimately switched to playing bass after Gomez departed.

An Acre Lost entered Studio 13 in Deerfield Park, Florida in early 1998 to record material with producer Jeremy Staska for their first release.

The five songs recorded in early 1998 included "Left With Nothing", "Lost in Silence", "Torn", "Obstacle" and "Jesus Drove a Cadillac", and were released by Ohev Records on a split 12" vinyl with Key Largo, Florida-based metalcore band Promise No Tomorrow (which featured members that would go on to play in the band Glasseater) in the early spring of 1998.

From May 25–28, 1998, An Acre Lost returned to Studio 13 to re-record the same five songs for their Eulogy Recordings release Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder.

[6][7] As their forthcoming EP Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder would not be ready until later that summer, the band made demo tapes to sell on their upcoming tour.

[8] The Demo 98 tapes were packaged in white envelopes and featured two songs from the May 1998 recording session: "Grain of Salt (What's the Use of Having a Heart)" and "Obstacle".

[9] Distance Only Makes the Heart Grow Fonder was finally released by Good Life Recordings on compact disc and 10" vinyl in September 1998, under catalog number GL031.

[12] The reissue was retitled Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder (dropping the word only) and had a new artwork and layout designed by Converge vocalist Jacob Banonn, newly-written liner notes, and was bundled with two bonus live tracks recorded at a radio broadcast in Boston, Massachusetts on the morning of June 26, 2000: "A Wish for Wings that Work" and "Artist's Rendering of Me".

[2][14] Bassist Alan Landsman and rhythm guitarist Matthew Tackett, who were part of Poison the Well at the time of the radio performance, were uncredited in the booklet.

[16] Poison the Well's summer 1998 tour was originally scheduled to be with Indiana-based metalcore band Upheaval, which had just released their debut EP Downfall of the Ascendancy of Man in April 1998 through Eulogy Recordings.

Halfway through their tour, rhythm guitarist Saunders became sick and unable to perform and was forced to fly back home to Florida.

Bassist Jeronimo Gomez, who had previously played in As Friends Rust, Wayside and Red Letter Day, quickly joined Poison the Well, but the band had difficulty finding a rhythm guitarist.

On August 5, 1998, Lehrer and Abramowitz attended Warped Tour 1998 at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, where they met 17 year old guitarist Derek Miller.

Meanwhile, Primack joined Eulogy Recordings founder John Wylie's new band, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, as their bassist, performing shows during Poison the Well's downtime.