Track of the Week

 This week’s track of the week is a little different to the stuff I’ve done before. Today, I want to talk about a song that’s been out a few years and has made a huge impact on me and that song is ‘The Absence of You’ by Tim Minchin. 

The first important thing to know about this one is that, up until the release of this album, Tim had been predominantly a comedy musician. His comedy stuff is amazing, absolutely hilarious and you should definitely listen to it if you haven’t already, but it’s been evident since his comedy days that under all the laughs he is an incredible musician. This is why, when he announced he would be releasing a ‘serious’ studio album rather than his normal live comedy album from each tour, myself and my family were incredibly excited. I’m pleased to report that the LP somehow managed to exceed all our expectations, and one of the biggest standout tracks for me was this grief song ‘The Absence of You’. 

Firstly, the song begins on Tim’s classic piano accompanying his voice in a traditional ballad. As it goes on, synths as well as orchestral and rock instrumentation are added, exploding into the chorus. It’s truthfully difficult to describe to those who haven’t heard exactly what his comedy music is like, but a ballad this dramatic and serious was not at all expected from this album. 

The real highlight for me, though, is the lyricism. When talking about the song, Tim said that he wrote it about the idea that grief has mass, which is something that has stuck with me since I first heard it. Somehow, he manages to totally describe that all-encompassing feeling of missing someone, the ongoing theme being that ‘the absence of you’ takes up space and is a tangible thing. My favourite lyric has to be ‘All of this beauty runs over and through me / And pools round my shoes / And the puddle it forms / Conforms to the shape of the absence of you’. These few lines really do show the disconnect experienced when the act of missing someone gets in the way of enjoying life. 

Really, I would just encourage anyone to give it a listen, maybe wait until you’re in a safe place though because it’s an emotional one.