If there’s one new act poised to jolt the boyband landscape awake again, it’s Absnt Mind – a five-piece collective rewriting what it means to be a pop group in 2025.
Blending razor-sharp melodies with emotive-driven alt-pop production, the band has built a reputation for turning teenage angst, late-night confessionals, and stadium-ready hooks into something that feels both intimate and anthemic.
Absnt Mind – Wardrobe (Official Music Video)
Fresh off a successful run of summer shows, and a string of single releases that have sent their streaming numbers into orbit, band members Alex, Ashton, Conor, Freddie and Oscar step into our interview with the easy chemistry of a group that’s lived a lot of life together in a short amount of time. They’re playful, focused, and – despite the whirlwind surrounding them – strikingly self-aware.
In a moment when the world is hungry for sincerity and spectacle in equal measure, Absnt Mind might be the rare band capable of delivering both. We sat down with the five rising stars to talk creative risks, growing up online, and the dizzying reality of finding their place in the global pop machine.
2025 feels to have been a real breakthrough for you – a year where you’ve really come into your own, and solidified your identity as a band. Do you feel more established now, and more confident in who you are as Absnt Mind?
Alex: Definitely. When we first got together it took us a while to find our identity and sound as a band, but that’s only really because we were five individuals – from very different musical backgrounds – coming together, with no real idea of what we were doing (laughs). Those first couple of group songwriting sessions in the studio were… interesting! But I think we’ve blended our individual styles together really well, and now we’re making music that feels really special.
How do you think your approach to creating music has changed and evolved over the last 12 months?
Ashton: It’s hard to say really, because I don’t think we’ve ever worked to a set formula. Every time we go into a session, we never really know what’s going to happen, and I kind of like that, it makes things more exciting!
Oscar: We don’t always write together as a five because that can be kinda chaotic… we learnt that early on (laughs).
Freddie: Like Alex said, we’ve made a conscious effort to blend together all of our different musical influences to create this massive, eclectic Absnt Mind sound. But in terms of how we write and create our songs, I guess it just depends on what mood we’re in, and what we’re feeling inspired by.
Ashton: Totally – inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere, and that then sort of dictates how we work. Personally, I feel like we’re only just scratching the surface of what we’re capable of! Up to this point we’ve been really focused on honing in on that cool, edgy pop sound, but moving forward I want us to push the boundaries even further! There’s so much more to come for us music-wise; I can’t wait to get back in the studio next year.
How important is creative ownership to you, especially when it comes to writing your own material?
Conor: It’s very important. We absolutely love writing music – it’s something all of us really enjoying doing, even when we’re not working.
Freddie: It’s a way for us to express ourselves isn’t it?
Alex: Yeah, and I think it’s important that we write about subjects and topics that our fans can relate to.
Conor: Definitely! It’s about creating a connection isn’t it? The messages in our songs wouldn’t land in the same way if they didn’t come from us, and our sound wouldn’t be as cohesive as it is, if we didn’t have any creative input. Don’t get me wrong, if someone sends us an absolute banger, then we’re gonna record it and have fun performing it, but I think we all like putting music out there that’s personal to us.
Ashton: Authenticity is key!
Conor: As songwriters, we’ve really come into our own in the last couple of years, and that shows in the material we’re producing now. We know our strengths, both as a band and as individuals, and because of that, there’s kind of no stopping us.
With five voices and five perspectives shaping Absnt Mind, how do you keep everyone creatively fulfilled without losing the thread of what the band stands for?
Oscar: That’s a really interesting question! I think it just comes down to respecting each of our needs, as well as us all naturally sharing the same vision for what we want our band to be. We all have very different roles within the group – and we’ve discovered those roles naturally over time. We know our voices, we know how to blend, and we know what works best for us. Some of us are better at writing lyrics, some of us are better at coming up with melodies – like Conor said, we play to our strengths. There’s no ego in our band, we want each other to win.
Ashton: Sometimes the writers and producers we’re working with play a part in helping us to find that balance. Shout out to Kamille – she is amazing! She really took the time to listen, and understand what we were about. We bashed out five songs in our session with her, and I really think that’s because she made a point of getting to know us before we started writing together. We love Kamille!
Absnt Mind – STITCH (Official lyric visualiser)
Your latest single ’Stitch’ is an absolute BOP! Talk to me about the origins of that track…
Freddie: We actually wrote ’Stitch’ with JC Stewart and Anya Jones way back when we wrote ‘No Strings’, so we’ve had it locked away in the vault for a minute!
Alex: As soon as we heard the finished version, we felt like we’d created something really special. But it didn’t really fit with the sound we were going for at the time. We had songs like ‘Daylight’ and ‘No Strings’, which we thought were really good introductory singles, but ’Stitch’ felt more like a statement we wanted to make when we were a bit more established.
Connor: Everyone we played it to loved it, and we’ve been desperate to put it out, but sometimes you have to wait for the right moment to release a song.
Freddie: Initially we thought it should come out in the summer, but then because it has more of an autumnal, Christmassy vibe to it, so we thought we’d wait and gift it to our fans as a thank you for all of their support this year.
The reaction to it online has been off the scale!
Ashton: Right? The reaction has been amazing! It’s always nerve-wracking putting out new music, especially when it’s different to what you’ve released in the past, but the fans seem to really love it, so we’re super happy! I think there’s been a little bit of a shift in terms of what people are expecting from us, since we dropped ‘Simpatico’ in the summer, because that song is totally different to anything we’ve ever released. We’ve always said the best way to describe our sound is to imagine what it would be like if Prince and The 1975 had a baby (laughs). I think that’s what these two tracks (’Stitch’ and ‘Simpatico’) represent.
Oscar: We’re just buzzing that it’s doing so well and that people like it.
Two years into your career, how do you measure and define the success of a song now?
Freddie: I think for us it’s all about the fans, and if they’re enjoying what we’re doing, then we’re happy – we trust them… and their taste! Obviously streaming numbers are important, and that’s how a lot of people measure a songs impact now, but you can’t get too caught up in all of that. So yeah, just knowing that other people are enjoying what we’re doing, that feels like success to us.
Alongside your run of headline shows, you also played some pretty big festival gigs this summer. Is touring and performing live one of your favourite parts of being in the band?
Oscar: One. Hundred. Percent! We all love it so much! There’s a lot of hard work and behind the scenes stuff that goes into being in a band like ours, and it’s not always pretty (laughs). But it’s so worth putting in the hours and grafting, because you know, if you’re lucky, you’ll end up performing live on a stage somewhere in front of thousands of people – and nothing beats that feeling!
Ashton: Connecting with a live audience is amazing! You can talk to people online, and form a connection with your fans that way, and that’s cool, we love that – big up the Absntees who are holding us down online! But meeting them in real life, in real time, and seeing first hand that what we do means something to them – that’s incredible!
With so many shows under your belt, which performances have meant the most to you?
Oscar: This summer we did a gig at Piece Hall in Halifax, which is a venue not too far from where I grew up, so all my family and friends got to come down to see us which was pretty epic! The whole show felt like a dream – we were surround by all of this Romanesque architecture, the crowd were amazing, the sun was setting… it was an amazing night for us.
Conor: We were supporting Olly Murs weren’t we? Those gigs were incredible! He is such a lovely, lovely guy! We stayed to watch his show a few times, and it was brilliant!
Ashton: I was living out my childhood; Olly’s got some bops! I’ve gotta shout out the Sugababes – we opened up for them too, and had the best time!
Conor: We played Brighton Pride as well this summer which was mental – that show went off!
Ashton: Sometimes it’s the gigs where things go wrong that become the most memorable! I can’t remember where we were, but one night I completely forgot the running order of our show, and basically ended up re-ordering the whole setlist…
Conor: I still can’t believe you did that – you were just off in your own world (laughs).
Oscar: We did school tours back in the day, and there was one time I smacked my head on the door as we walked into the hall where we were performing! The whole class just started wetting themselves! It was funny I guess… but also really embarrassing.
I guess the beauty of being in a band is that you always have each other to lean on when things go wrong…
Oscar: (Laughs) exactly!
Freddie: It’s mad because growing up I never really dreamed about being in a boy band, I just wanted to sing, so thought I’d maybe just do the solo thing. But knowing what I know now, and seeing how the industry works, I’m so glad I have this lot around me, because thinking about doing all of this on my own freaks me out big time!
Ashton: Yeah, we’re definitely lucky to have each other.
It’s obvious how close you all are. How do you keep that connection strong?
Freddie: The whole experience of being in the band has bonded us in a way that nobody else can really understand, so naturally we just get each other. But communication is obviously really important.
Alex: Because we live together, we have the time to sit and chat about things and see how we’re all feeling. We’re obviously different people, but when it comes to the band we all have the same goals, and things we want to achieve. We celebrate our wins and we help each other get over any disappointments.
Oscar: When anybody needs a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on, we’re there for each other 100%.
Absnt Mind – Special (Official Music Video)
You’ve managed to create a really special rapport with your audience, to the point where they really do feel like they’re a part of your tribe. How important is using social media as a tool to maintain that relationship?
Oscar: I think social media is a great tool to have to support your wider vision and dreams, and yes it’s great that we can connect with our fans on apps like Instagram and TikTok, but nothing will ever beat the live experience. We love meeting our fans, and interacting with them in person.
Connor: It’s a really, really good tool to have to help spread the word about what we’re doing, and it’s a brilliant way to show all of the the Absntees what we’re up to everyday, but yeah, like Oscar says, it’s much better to meet everyone IRL. It’s mad how things have changed isn’t it? Because if you think back to how the industry used to be, it was all about getting yourself on TV, your picture in a magazine and your song played on the radio – that was really the only way to let people know what you were doing. And the only way to see a band perform live was to buy a ticket to one of their shows. Artists had to go out there, and convince people to do that! Then they had one opportunity to connect with a couple of hundred people in a night, before the whole promo cycle began again. Now, because of technology, we have the ability to connect with millions of people around the world from the comfort of our homes, pretty much whenever we want… that’s kind of crazy isn’t it?
Your name was born out of feeling overwhelmed – from exam stress to the pressure of constantly being online – and you’ve made it a mission to encourage your fans to free their minds and live in the moment. How do you practise that yourselves?
Ashton: Ooh, that’s deep… I think it’s really important to chill and take time out for yourself. Everyones lives are so busy and hectic, we’re all constantly on the go 24/7, so sometimes we don’t even realise we’re feeling unhappy or sad about something because there’s so much going on to distract us. Talking to friends and family always helps – to say something out loud can be liberating, to anyone reading this, please don’t ever feel like you can’t express yourself. Music is also a great outlet for us to deal with anything heavy we have going on – it helps us to escape. I can’t say too much about it, but we’ve actually written a really cool song with Jamie Squire from The 1975 about this…
Conor: I’m lucky I suppose, because I find it quite easy to open up and talk about how I’m feeling, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. It’s scary to talk about your emotions, but what I’ve sort of come to realise is that a lot of the time, we’re all feeling worried and anxious about the same things. So I know that if I’m struggling with something, there’s a high probability someone else will be too. I think it’s important to remember that.
Freddie: It can be quite hectic and chaotic living in Absnt Mind world (laughs) so having a good support system around us helps. We’re lucky to have each other and to work with a great team of people.
Oscar: Since starting the band, we’ve all moved from our hometowns to London, which has definitely brought us all closer together, we know we can lean on each for anything and everything.
Alex: Taking a breather, and doing something that I really enjoy always helps me mentally – whether that be listening to music, writing down some lyric ideas, or even performing on stage.
Talking of being on stage, you’ve got a couple of shows coming up before Christmas…
Conor: Yes! So we’re doing two nights at The Grace in London, and we cannot wait! They’re actually going to be our last shows of the year, so we’ll be giving it loads on stage. I’ve heard great things about the venue so I’m really excited to perform there.
Freddie: Anyone coming along can expect good vibes, good music… maybe even some new music, and a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to it, I can’t wait to see the fans!
And before that you’re going to Japan!
Freddie: I am so excited about this trip! Going to Japan has been on my bucket list forever, so I feel like I’ve manifested this.
Oscar: It’s crazy that we’re going! When I was younger I always said I wanted to live there I can’t say I knew a lot about the country itself, but I’ve always been fascinated by the people and their culture. I’m so excited.
Your music clearly resonates deeply with listeners, and the unwavering support of your fans shows just how much the band means to so many people. As the five individuals who make up this group, what does being part of Absnt Mind mean to each of you?
Ashton: You’re gonna make us emotional… (laughs).
Freddie: Being a part of this industry is something we’ve all wanted since we were kids – so to be actually doing it is mad! We’re grateful, we’re really, really grateful to be in this band.
Conor: For me, meeting the guys has made everything about my life ten times better because I know I’ve always got someone in my corner supporting me. The one thing we all have in common is our love for music – I think it really unites both us, and our fans, and I love that we’re able to do that as Absnt Mind.
Remaining tickets for Absnt Mind’s show at The Grace in London are on sale here.
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