The Receiving End of Sirens released their debut album Between the Heart and the Synapse in April 2005, though independent label Triple Crown Records.

"[3] He left the group after the conclusion of their headlining tour in May 2006, citing "many factors, personal and creative" as the reasoning.

[4] However, it was later discovered he was suffering from a series of undiagnosed medical issues – namely, throat and stomach ulcers, kidney and pancreatic failure, burst lung capillaries and memory loss – that he was unable to afford care.

[5] Cody Bonnette of As Cities Burn filled Crescenzo's role for three months, though they didn't record or practice together,[6] and was replaced by Brian Southall of Boys Night Out joined the band as their guitarist;[7] he was previously their one-time touring manager.

[3] They went to a secluded llama farm in Connecticut,[7] which was owned by Bars' grandparents, where they spent two months writing new material.

[3] The record's secondary topic is about a family breakdown;[12] Brown wrote all of the lyrics, in contrast to their debut, where he collaborated on them with Crescenzo and drummer Andrew Cook.

[12] Brown woke up in a hotel room with the drum pattern and chorus melody in his head; he worked on the sequencing over the course of a night.

[12] One of the verses details an evil spirit using a human host as a home; it makes reference to a nautilus shell, which is done as a metaphor for perfection.

[14] It is the start of the album's other topic, which discusses fracturing relationships that mentioned throughout the remainder of release.

[23] "A Realization of the Ear" is another quiet rock track with electronic elements[10] that ends with a choral section.

[11] They embarked on a headlining US tour in August and September, with support from Emanuel, Envy on the Coast, Hopesfall, Strangler and Goodbye Tomorrow.

[32] The group supported New Found Glory and Senses Fail on their co-headlining US tour in October and November.

AllMusic reviewer Jo-Ann Grene wrote that the theming made it "a complex set", and its music "even more so" with the group crafting "a dense tapestry of sound, multi-shaded and many colored.

[14] Alternative Press writer Luke O'Neil said it had "[s]himmering harmonies, gutsy vocal straining that verges toward a scream," backed by "atmospheric breakdowns" to showcase "songwriting maturity," with "rolling storms of distortion and woe-is-me handwringing.

"[38] The Albuquerque Tribune's Paul Maldonado said the band created an album that had "extraordinary lyrical depth" and "exquisite harmonies" with a "dual-guitar attack [which] sets the mood.