British self-produced artist Joshua Scurfield marks his debut as a solo act with “Absent Eyes,” a haunting exploration of digital loneliness and urban fatigue. Rooted in the analogue warmth of ’90s tape sound, the track draws on the textures of Bends-era Radiohead and Slowdive to reimagine guitar-led rock for a disconnected age. It’s a vulnerable, honest introduction that captures the quiet exhaustion of contemporary life.
Lush acoustic strums open the track with inviting qualities, followed by Scurfield’s introspectively mellow vocals. “When the sky is looming over you,” he sings, letting out that “everybody looks at you with absent eyes” — combining with steady percussion and the moody acoustic strums for a sound that reminds fondly of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” in its arsenal. A warming blast of guitar distortion enters the fold as Scurfield’s vocals repeat “those absent eyes” with impactful immersion, punctuated by glistening guitar work that jangles blissfully into the next series of verses.
Further perspectives of “looking for your purpose in an empty glass” and feelings of loneliness within a busy town delight during these verses, gearing up seamlessly into another affecting title-bearing refrain. Tender guitar lines inject just after the two-minute turn, assuming prominence as the vocals fade momentarily. Skygazing contemplation and subsequent distortion-ready fervor ensues again, concluding an amiable and effective single from Joshua Scurfield.
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