the instrumental "a grain of sand" was written by guitarist kamran alan shikoh and recorded in 2010 as a possible track for "if". although it was not ultimately featured, the vocals by jon davison recorded for the track were ultimately used in "if the stars". "cool air", a song based on the eponymous short story by h. p. lovecraft and also featuring davison, was originally released as a part of "the stories of h.p. lovecraft", a 2012 collaborative album by different artists. it was recorded that year, from lyrics by babb and music by schendel.