If there’s one new act poised to jolt the boyband panorama awake once more, it’s Absnt Thoughts – a five-piece collective rewriting what it means to be a pop group in 2025.
Mixing razor-sharp melodies with emotive-driven alt-pop manufacturing, the band has constructed a popularity for turning teenage angst, late-night confessionals, and stadium-ready hooks into one thing that feels each intimate and anthemic.
Absnt Thoughts – Wardrobe (Official Music Video)
Recent off a profitable run of summer time reveals, and a string of single releases which have despatched their streaming numbers into orbit, band members Alex, Ashton, Conor, Freddie and Oscar step into our interview with the straightforward chemistry of a gaggle that’s lived a variety of life collectively in a brief period of time. They’re playful, centered, and – regardless of the whirlwind surrounding them – strikingly self-aware.
In a second when the world is hungry for sincerity and spectacle in equal measure, Absnt Thoughts is likely to be the uncommon band able to delivering each. We sat down with the 5 rising stars to speak inventive dangers, rising up on-line, and the dizzying actuality of discovering their place within the world pop machine.
2025 feels to have been an actual breakthrough for you – a 12 months the place you’ve actually come into your personal, and solidified your id as a band. Do you are feeling extra established now, and extra assured in who you might be as Absnt Thoughts?
Alex: Undoubtedly. After we first bought collectively it took us some time to search out our id and sound as a band, however that’s solely often because we had been 5 people – from very totally different musical backgrounds – coming collectively, with no actual thought of what we had been doing (laughs). These first couple of group songwriting periods within the studio had been… fascinating! However I feel we’ve blended our particular person kinds collectively very well, and now we’re making music that feels actually particular.
How do you assume your method to creating music has modified and advanced over the past 12 months?
Ashton: It’s arduous to say actually, as a result of I don’t assume we’ve ever labored to a set system. Each time we go right into a session, we by no means actually know what’s going to occur, and I type of like that, it makes issues extra thrilling!
Oscar: We don’t all the time write collectively as a 5 as a result of that may be kinda chaotic… we learnt that early on (laughs).
Freddie: Like Alex stated, we’ve made a aware effort to mix collectively all of our totally different musical influences to create this large, eclectic Absnt Thoughts sound. However by way of how we write and create our songs, I suppose it simply relies on what temper we’re in, and what we’re feeling impressed by.
Ashton: Completely – inspiration can come from anyplace and in every single place, and that then form of dictates how we work. Personally, I really feel like we’re solely simply scratching the floor of what we’re able to! Up up to now we’ve been actually centered on honing in on that cool, edgy pop sound, however transferring ahead I would like us to push the boundaries even additional! There’s a lot extra to return for us music-wise; I can’t wait to get again within the studio subsequent 12 months.
How essential is inventive possession to you, particularly in relation to writing your personal materials?
Conor: It’s crucial. We completely love writing music – it’s one thing all of us actually having fun with doing, even after we’re not working.
Freddie: It’s a means for us to specific ourselves isn’t it?
Alex: Yeah, and I feel it’s essential that we write about topics and matters that our followers can relate to.
Conor: Undoubtedly! It’s about making a connection isn’t it? The messages in our songs wouldn’t land in the identical means in the event that they didn’t come from us, and our sound wouldn’t be as cohesive as it’s, if we didn’t have any inventive enter. Don’t get me fallacious, if somebody sends us an absolute banger, then we’re gonna file it and have enjoyable performing it, however I feel all of us like placing music on the market that’s private to us.
Ashton: Authenticity is vital!
Conor: As songwriters, we’ve actually come into our personal within the final couple of years, and that reveals within the materials we’re producing now. We all know our strengths, each as a band and as people, and due to that, there’s type of no stopping us.
With 5 voices and 5 views shaping Absnt Thoughts, how do you retain everybody creatively fulfilled with out dropping the thread of what the band stands for?
Oscar: That’s a very fascinating query! I feel it simply comes right down to respecting every of our wants, in addition to us all naturally sharing the identical imaginative and prescient for what we wish our band to be. All of us have very totally different roles inside the group – and we’ve found these roles naturally over time. We all know our voices, we all know easy methods to mix, and we all know what works greatest for us. A few of us are higher at writing lyrics, a few of us are higher at developing with melodies – like Conor stated, we play to our strengths. There’s no ego in our band, we wish one another to win.
Ashton: Typically the writers and producers we’re working with play a component in serving to us to search out that stability. Shout out to Kamille – she is superb! She actually took the time to pay attention, and perceive what we had been about. We bashed out 5 songs in our session together with her, and I actually assume that’s as a result of she made a degree of attending to know us earlier than we began writing collectively. We love Kamille!
Absnt Thoughts – STITCH (Official lyric visualiser)
Your newest single ’Sew’ is an absolute BOP! Discuss to me concerning the origins of that monitor…
Freddie: We truly wrote ’Sew’ with JC Stewart and Anya Jones means again after we wrote ‘No Strings’, so we’ve had it locked away within the vault for a minute!
Alex: As quickly as we heard the completed model, we felt like we’d created one thing actually particular. Nevertheless it didn’t actually match with the sound we had been going for on the time. We had songs like ‘Daylight’ and ‘No Strings’, which we thought had been actually good introductory singles, however ’Sew’ felt extra like an announcement we needed to make after we had been a bit extra established.
Connor: Everybody we performed it to beloved it, and we’ve been determined to place it out, however typically you must await the proper second to launch a track.
Freddie: Initially we thought it ought to come out in the summertime, however then as a result of it has extra of an autumnal, Christmassy vibe to it, so we thought we’d wait and reward it to our followers as a thanks for all of their assist this 12 months.
The response to it on-line has been off the size!
Ashton: Proper? The response has been superb! It’s all the time nerve-wracking placing out new music, particularly when it’s totally different to what you’ve launched up to now, however the followers appear to actually like it, so we’re tremendous pleased! I feel there’s been slightly little bit of a shift by way of what individuals are anticipating from us, since we dropped ‘Simpatico’ in the summertime, as a result of that track is completely totally different to something we’ve ever launched. We’ve all the time stated one of the simplest ways to explain our sound is to think about what it could be like if Prince and The 1975 had a child (laughs). I feel that’s what these two tracks (’Sew’ and ‘Simpatico’) characterize.
Oscar: We’re simply buzzing that it’s doing so effectively and that folks prefer it.
Two years into your profession, how do you measure and outline the success of a track now?
Freddie: I feel for us it’s all concerning the followers, and in the event that they’re having fun with what we’re doing, then we’re pleased – we belief them… and their style! Clearly streaming numbers are essential, and that’s how lots of people measure a songs impression now, however you may’t get too caught up in all of that. So yeah, simply understanding that different individuals are having fun with what we’re doing, that seems like success to us.
Alongside your run of headline reveals, you additionally performed some fairly huge pageant gigs this summer time. Is touring and performing dwell certainly one of your favorite elements of being within the band?
Oscar: One. Hundred. P.c! All of us like it a lot! There’s a variety of arduous work and behind the scenes stuff that goes into being in a band like ours, and it’s not all the time fairly (laughs). Nevertheless it’s so value placing within the hours and grafting, as a result of you recognize, if you happen to’re fortunate, you’ll find yourself performing dwell on a stage someplace in entrance of 1000’s of individuals – and nothing beats that feeling!
Ashton: Connecting with a dwell viewers is superb! You possibly can speak to individuals on-line, and type a connection together with your followers that means, and that’s cool, we love that – huge up the Absntees who’re holding us down on-line! However assembly them in actual life, in actual time, and seeing first hand that what we do means one thing to them – that’s unimaginable!
With so many reveals beneath your belt, which performances have meant probably the most to you?
Oscar: This summer time we did a gig at Piece Corridor in Halifax, which is a venue not too removed from the place I grew up, so all my household and pals bought to return right down to see us which was fairly epic! The entire present felt like a dream – we had been encompass by all of this Romanesque structure, the gang had been superb, the solar was setting… it was an incredible night time for us.
Conor: We had been supporting Olly Murs weren’t we? These gigs had been unimaginable! He’s such a beautiful, pretty man! We stayed to observe his present a number of occasions, and it was good!
Ashton: I used to be residing out my childhood; Olly’s bought some bops! I’ve gotta shout out the Sugababes – we opened up for them too, and had the perfect time!
Conor: We performed Brighton Pleasure as effectively this summer time which was psychological – that present went off!
Ashton: Typically it’s the gigs the place issues go fallacious that develop into probably the most memorable! I can’t keep in mind the place we had been, however one night time I fully forgot the working order of our present, and mainly ended up re-ordering the entire setlist…
Conor: I nonetheless can’t imagine you probably did that – you had been simply off in your personal world (laughs).
Oscar: We did faculty excursions again within the day, and there was one time I smacked my head on the door as we walked into the corridor the place we had been performing! The entire class simply began wetting themselves! It was humorous I suppose… but additionally actually embarrassing.
I suppose the fantastic thing about being in a band is that you simply all the time have one another to lean on when issues go fallacious…
Oscar: (Laughs) precisely!
Freddie: It’s mad as a result of rising up I by no means actually dreamed about being in a boy band, I simply needed to sing, so thought I’d perhaps simply do the solo factor. However understanding what I do know now, and seeing how the trade works, I’m so glad I’ve this lot round me, as a result of desirous about doing all of this alone freaks me out huge time!
Ashton: Yeah, we’re undoubtedly fortunate to have one another.
It’s apparent how shut you all are. How do you retain that connection sturdy?
Freddie: The entire expertise of being within the band has bonded us in a means that no person else can actually perceive, so naturally we simply get one another. However communication is clearly actually essential.
Alex: As a result of we dwell collectively, we have now the time to sit down and chat about issues and see how we’re all feeling. We’re clearly totally different individuals, however in relation to the band all of us have the identical objectives, and issues we need to obtain. We have fun our wins and we assist one another recover from any disappointments.
Oscar: When anyone wants a serving to hand or a shoulder to cry on, we’re there for one another 100%.
Absnt Thoughts – Particular (Official Music Video)
You’ve managed to create a very particular rapport together with your viewers, to the purpose the place they actually do really feel like they’re part of your tribe. How essential is utilizing social media as a software to take care of that relationship?
Oscar: I feel social media is a superb software to must assist your wider imaginative and prescient and goals, and sure it’s nice that we are able to join with our followers on apps like Instagram and TikTok, however nothing will ever beat the dwell expertise. We love assembly our followers, and interacting with them in particular person.
Connor: It’s a very, actually good software to have to assist unfold the phrase about what we’re doing, and it’s an excellent technique to present all the the Absntees what we’re as much as on a regular basis, however yeah, like Oscar says, it’s a lot better to satisfy everybody IRL. It’s mad how issues have modified isn’t it? As a result of if you happen to assume again to how the trade was, it was all about getting your self on TV, your image in {a magazine} and your track performed on the radio – that was actually the one technique to let individuals know what you had been doing. And the one technique to see a band carry out dwell was to purchase a ticket to certainly one of their reveals. Artists needed to go on the market, and persuade individuals to try this! Then that they had one alternative to attach with a few hundred individuals in an evening, earlier than the entire promo cycle started once more. Now, due to know-how, we have now the power to attach with hundreds of thousands of individuals all over the world from the consolation of our houses, just about at any time when we wish… that’s type of loopy isn’t it?
Your title was born out of feeling overwhelmed – from examination stress to the strain of continually being on-line – and also you’ve made it a mission to encourage your followers to free their minds and dwell within the second. How do you practise that yourselves?
Ashton: Ooh, that’s deep… I feel it’s actually essential to relax and take outing for your self. Everyones lives are so busy and hectic, we’re all continually on the go 24/7, so typically we don’t even realise we’re feeling sad or unhappy about one thing as a result of there’s a lot happening to distract us. Speaking to family and friends all the time helps – to say one thing out loud will be liberating, to anybody studying this, please don’t ever really feel like you may’t specific your self. Music can also be an amazing outlet for us to cope with something heavy we have now happening – it helps us to flee. I can’t say an excessive amount of about it, however we’ve truly written a very cool track with Jamie Squire from The 1975 about this…
Conor: I’m fortunate I suppose, as a result of I discover it fairly simple to open up and speak about how I’m feeling, however I do know that’s not the case for everybody. It’s scary to speak about your feelings, however what I’ve form of come to grasp is that a variety of the time, we’re all feeling apprehensive and anxious about the identical issues. So I do know that if I’m battling one thing, there’s a excessive chance another person will probably be too. I feel it’s essential to keep in mind that.
Freddie: It may be fairly hectic and chaotic residing in Absnt Thoughts world (laughs) so having a very good assist system round us helps. We’re fortunate to have one another and to work with an amazing crew of individuals.
Oscar: Since beginning the band, we’ve all moved from our hometowns to London, which has undoubtedly introduced us all nearer collectively, we all know we are able to lean on every for something and every part.
Alex: Taking a breather, and doing one thing that I actually get pleasure from all the time helps me mentally – whether or not that be listening to music, writing down some lyric concepts, and even acting on stage.
Speaking of being on stage, you’ve bought a few reveals developing earlier than Christmas…
Conor: Sure! So we’re doing two nights at The Grace in London, and we can’t wait! They’re truly going to be our final reveals of the 12 months, so we’ll be giving it hundreds on stage. I’ve heard nice issues concerning the venue so I’m actually excited to carry out there.
Freddie: Anybody coming alongside can count on good vibes, good music… perhaps even some new music, and a variety of enjoyable. I’m actually trying ahead to it, I can’t wait to see the followers!
And earlier than that you simply’re going to Japan!
Freddie: I’m so enthusiastic about this journey! Going to Japan has been on my bucket checklist perpetually, so I really feel like I’ve manifested this.
Oscar: It’s loopy that we’re going! After I was youthful I all the time stated I needed to dwell there I can’t say I knew lots concerning the nation itself, however I’ve all the time been fascinated by the individuals and their tradition. I’m so excited.
Your music clearly resonates deeply with listeners, and the unwavering assist of your followers reveals simply how a lot the band means to so many individuals. Because the 5 people who make up this group, what does being a part of Absnt Thoughts imply to every of you?
Ashton: You’re gonna make us emotional… (laughs).
Freddie: Being part of this trade is one thing we’ve all needed since we had been youngsters – so to be truly doing it’s mad! We’re grateful, we’re actually, actually grateful to be on this band.
Conor: For me, assembly the blokes has made every part about my life ten occasions higher as a result of I do know I’ve all the time bought somebody in my nook supporting me. The one factor all of us have in widespread is our love for music – I feel it actually unites each us, and our followers, and I really like that we’re in a position to try this as Absnt Thoughts.
Remaining tickets for Absnt Thoughts’s present at The Grace in London are on sale right here.
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