Browsing Tag

Empty

Amber Farnan sustained the devastation of healing in her chamber-string indie folk confessional, Empty

Posted on 23 July 2026

Through vocal inflections capable of opening new chambers in your soul, Empty by Amber Farnan became one of the most disarming singles of the year. The Queensland Music Award-winning artist has already built a reputation for turning vulnerability into hooks, yet this chamber-string-decorated indie-folk confessional reaches a deeper level of raw etherealism.

As the gentle progressions prise more intimacy out of the lyrics, you realise how refreshing it is to hear someone speak without artifice or inhibition. Farnan grew up in Cooktown, a remote town in Cape York, and that distance from the usual music-scene machinery seems to have sharpened her emotional focus rather than limited it. Her writing carries the weight of restless curiosity and a rare willingness to let pain remain unvarnished.

It seems bizarre to find consolation in the pain of another, but Farnan lays it all out on the line in this stunningly sombre release as she strips the Instagram-worthy moments from healing; you see what it really means to be human. The reprise declaring the hatred of emptiness, loneliness and bitterness is crushing in the most devastatingly beautiful way.

After opening for Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, Stella Donnelly and The Jezabels, touring nationally and performing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Farnan is more than ready for wider recognition.

Empty is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

aubreyleighkirk has made her debut with her truth-bleeding wounded ballad, empty

Posted on 30 December 2024

The single ‘empty’ by aubreyleighkirk arrives with lyrics so visceral they resound as though they’ve poured from a raw wound. Confounded with striking minor-key piano chords, filmic orchestral swells and the singer-songwriter’s seraphically melancholic vocal harmonies, the debut single instantly catches you off guard.

With gospel-esque choir vocals adding to the arcane atmosphere of the cinematic vignette—which illustrates the hollowness of loneliness when you’re missing the warmth of the only person capable of making you feel whole—aubreyleighkirk easily distinguished herself as a purveyor of authentic artistry. As the industry waits with bated breath for more of her discography to cascade from her cultivated pipeline, she’s already an indie pop icon to watch.

Aubrey grew up immersed in music. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music with a BM in Musical Theatre, she pursued the arts relentlessly and proudly joined the Actors’ Equity Association. Her career soared in the cabaret scene, including appearances at 54 Below, The Greenroom 42, and Birdland Jazz Club. To date, she has performed in three original works at the NY Winterfest, the NY Theatre Festival, and a five-week Off-Broadway run at the Players Theater.

After building her film presence in LA through lead roles in commercials, short films, and independent features, she now flies between NYC and LA, forging her music path with ‘empty’ and preparing more releases this winter.

empty was officially released on December 13; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

A&R Factory Present: Closely

Posted on 21 April 2016

Closely was formed accidentally. Michael posted on Kijiji looking for a female singer for a project he was working on & the only response he got was a male guitarist (me). Michael was writing slow, dreamy pop and I was writing electro jams. After a few practices and a lot of experimenting, we had this mix of our styles in our first song, “Empty”.

“Empty” is written from the perspective of a friend who has gone in and out of the same relationship with this shitty dude for the last few years. She’s a dancer and we wanted her for our promo video but she just moved to LA. Instead, we got an amazing dancer from Toronto (Allie Laliberte) to interpret the song her own way. Watch the video here.