Empathy Test is an electronic pop duo based in London, United Kingdom. The … Read Full Bio ↴Empathy Test is an electronic pop duo based in London, United Kingdom. The band write, record and produce their own music and also do their own artwork. They are influenced by classic '80s sci-fi soundtracks, '90s guitar bands and modern underground dance music. Formed in January 2013 by lifelong friends Isaac Howlett (vocals) and Adam Relf (production), the band self-released their four-track début EP, Losing Touch EP, via Tunecore on 28th February 2014. Empathy Test signed to Stars & Letters Records on May 22nd, 2014, with whom they released their second EP, Throwing Stones, on 9th December 2014. Following an amicable split with Stars & Letters in 2015, they self-released the Throwing Stones Remixed EP, featuring remixes of tracks from the Throwing Stones EP, on August 18th 2015.

Empathy Test released a double A-side single, Demons | Seeing Stars on September the 9th, 2016, which featured featured remixes by Sidewalks And Skeletons and MNYNMS, before embarking on a European tour on 16th September. Empathy Test recruited live drummer Christina Lopez and keyboard player Jacob Ferguson Lobo to accompanying Isaac on the tour. They continued to perform with Isaac until April 2017, when Jacob was replaced by Sam Winter-Quick. The band then released another single, By My Side with b-side Vampire Town and remixes by New Portals and Papertwin on February 17th, 2017. A third single, Bare My Soul was released 21st April, 2017, to coincide with a second European tour.

Empathy Test are currently crowd funding two debut albums plus a final single via PledgeMusic: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/empathy-test-album/. They are slated for release on 17th November. The first album, Losing Touch, will feature all the original 2014 EP tracks plus Demons and two previously unreleased tracks, Siamese and Sleep. Safe From Harm will feature all the singles (minus Demons) plus new tracks Safe From Harm, All It Takes, Trampoline, Everything Will Work Out and Burroughs & Bukowski. The band previously stated that Safe From Harm, the album title track, would be the final single. However, it is now looking like the final single will be Everything Will Work Out.

Fear of Disappearing
Empathy Test Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Stay close to your television tonight
Wrap your arms around its cold, dull light.
‘Cause it’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.

Tell me how many people do you really know?
How long will it be before they go?
I don’t know...

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.

Everything you do will be erased.
The moment that you leave, you’ll be replaced
And you won’t know.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.

I’ve been waiting for something
That never comes.
And everything of any worth’s been done.
And I’ve been living in here
With mediocrity, surrounding me.
And I’ve been living in fear of disappearing
No one hearing me.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.

Overall Meaning

The song "Fear of Disappearing" by Empathy Test is an introspective track that comments on the state of the world and the individual's place within it. The first verse encourages the listener to find comfort and solace in their televisions, possibly hinting at the idea that watching television offers a way to escape the hardships of reality. However, this comfort is short-lived as the chorus repeats the sentiment that it is a "low, lonely time to be alive." The lyrics invoke a sense of despair for the present and uncertainty for the future.

The second verse delves deeper into the theme of transience and fragility. The question, "how long will it be before they go?" refers to the people in our lives who make an impact, and the idea that no matter how much value we place on our relationships, they will ultimately come to an end. This is reinforced in the following lines which state, "everything you do will be erased. The moment that you leave, you'll be replaced and you won't know." This cyclical nature of life is shown to heighten the uncertainty of existence.

The bridge of the song recounts the fear of mediocrity and being forgotten. The lyrics, "And I’ve been living in here with mediocrity, surrounding me. And I’ve been living in fear of disappearing, no one hearing me," reflect the fear of the individual being lost in the crowd and leaving no impact on the world. The song speaks to the universal fear of absence, of having an impact in a world that is constantly changing and sometimes unforgiving.

Overall, Empathy Test's "Fear of Disappearing" is an emotive and poignant song that reflects on the complexities of fear and loneliness in today's age.

Line by Line Meaning

Stay close to your television tonight
Stay connected to the outside world through your television tonight.

Wrap your arms around its cold, dull light.
Find comfort in the steady, unchanging glow of your television.

‘Cause it’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
The current state of the world can make one feel isolated and depressed.

Tell me how many people do you really know?
Do you truly know anyone on a deep level or are they just acquaintances?

How long will it be before they go?
How long will it be until you lose those you care about?

I don’t know...
Uncertainty about the future and the fate of relationships.

Everything you do will be erased.
Memories of you will eventually fade away.

The moment that you leave, you’ll be replaced
Once you're gone from a job, a relationship, or any other circumstance, someone else will fill your place.

And you won’t know.
Once you're gone, you won't be aware of what is happening.

I’ve been waiting for something That never comes.
A sense of unfulfillment and disappointment with life.

And everything of any worth’s been done.
A feeling that all the great accomplishments have already been achieved.

And I’ve been living in here With mediocrity, surrounding me.
Feeling stuck and constrained by a mediocre environment or lifestyle.

And I’ve been living in fear of disappearing No one hearing me.
Afraid of being forgotten or overlooked and not being heard or understood.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
Reiteration of the initial sentiment, further emphasizing the feeling of isolation and melancholy.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
Second repetition of the chorus, underscoring the ongoing sadness.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
Third repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the continued unhappiness.

It’s a low, lonely time to be alive.
Final repetition of the chorus, bringing the song to a close with a sense of hopelessness and despair.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adam Relf, Isaac Howlett

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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